Breaking Bad

For other uses, see Breaking Bad (disambiguation).

Breaking Bad
A green montage with the name "Breaking Bad" written on it—the "Br" in "Breaking" and the "Ba" in "Bad" are denoted by the chemical symbols for bromine and barium
Genre
Created byVince Gilligan
ShowrunnerVince Gilligan
Starring
ComposerDave Porter
Country of originUnited States
Original languages
  • English
  • Spanish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes62 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locationAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Cinematography
Editors
Running time43–58 minutes
Production companies
Budget$3 million per episode
Original release
NetworkAMC
ReleaseJanuary 20, 2008 (2008-01-20) –
September 29, 2013 (2013-09-29)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, dispirited high-school chemistry teacher struggling with a recent diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer. White turns to a life of crime and partners with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to produce and distribute methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future before he dies, while navigating the dangers of the criminal underworld. Breaking Bad premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, and concluded on September 29, 2013, after five seasons consisting of 62 episodes.

Among the show's co-stars are Anna Gunn and RJ Mitte as Walter's wife Skyler and son Walter Jr., and Betsy Brandt and Dean Norris as Skyler's sister Marie Schrader and her husband Hank, a DEA agent. Others include Bob Odenkirk as Walter's and Jesse's lawyer Saul Goodman, Jonathan Banks as private investigator and fixer Mike Ehrmantraut, and Giancarlo Esposito as drug kingpin Gus Fring. The final season introduces Jesse Plemons as the criminally ambitious Todd Alquist, and Laura Fraser as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, a cunning business executive.

Breaking Bad's first season received generally positive reviews, while the subsequent seasons received unanimous critical acclaim, with praise for the performances, direction, cinematography, writing, story, and character development. Since its conclusion, the show has been lauded by critics as one of the greatest television series of all time. It has also developed a cult following.[7] The show had fair viewership in its first three seasons, but the fourth and fifth seasons saw a moderate rise in viewership when it was made available on Netflix just before the fourth season premiere. Viewership increased exponentially upon the premiere of the second half of the fifth season in 2013. By the time that the series finale aired, it was among the most-watched cable shows on American television.

The show received numerous awards, including 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, eight Satellite Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabody Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, four Television Critics Association Awards and one British Academy Television Award. Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times, Paul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series three times, and Gunn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series twice. In 2013, Breaking Bad entered the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed TV show of all time. In 2023, Breaking Bad was ranked as the best TV series in the last 25 years by critics in a poll conveyed by Rotten Tomatoes.[8]

The series gave rise to the larger Breaking Bad franchise. Better Call Saul, a prequel series featuring Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito reprising their Breaking Bad roles, as well as many others in guest and recurring appearances, debuted on AMC on February 8, 2015, and concluded on August 15, 2022. A sequel film, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, starring Paul, was released on Netflix and in theaters on October 11, 2019.

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  7. ^ McCluskey, Megan (October 10, 2019). "Aaron Paul Can Prove the Breaking Bad Cult Following Is Stronger Than Ever". Time. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Critics Pick the Best TV Shows of the Last 25 Years". Rotten Tomatoes. July 18, 2023. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.