The devious minds behind Better Call Saul have come up with a pretty clever way to include Walter White and other dearly departed characters in the Breaking Bad spinoff.

"One of the great things about having a timeline which is flexible is that perhaps some of it takes place before Breaking Bad, during Breaking Bad, and after Breaking Bad," Executive Producer Peter Gould tells the New York Daily News. "That gives us the ability to bring back characters that were killed on Breaking Bad."

It wouldn't seem that Walter's death in the finale of the AMC drama would cause as much of a problem as when he came into contact with Saul Goodman, the sleazy lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk (in the second season); a traditional, linear show focusing on Saul's early years would run into difficulties rationalizing cameos by Bryan Cranston's Walt or Aaron Paul's Jesse.

But just because the producers have found a workaround doesn't mean they're going to lean on the two Emmy winners to secure an audience.

“We want to make a show that stands on it own, is its own story and is a brand extension," Gould explains. "We think we have a story that is worth making. We could never dream of the kind of success that Breaking Bad had and the love we got from the fans. But at a certain point you have to do the best job you can and tell the best story that entertains you, get a good response and hope people like it.”

Better Call Saul, which also stars Jonathan Banks, Michael McKean, Patrick Fabian, Rhea Seehorn and Michael Mando, premieres in early 2015. It's already been renewed for a second season.