Breaking Bad TV Series Poster

Breaking Bad

TV-MA
English, Spanish
January 20, 2008
43–58 minutes
Season: 5
Episodes: 62
Status: released

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Series Details:

Country United States
Language English, Spanish
GenreCrime drama, Serial drama, Thriller, Neo-Western, Black comedy, Tragedy
Season5
Episodes62
Release dateJanuary 20, 2008 – September 29, 2013
Running time43–58 minutes
Age ratingTV-MA
StarringBryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Giancarlo Esposito, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Laura Fraser, Jesse Plemons
Created byVince Gilligan
Showrunner Vince Gilligan
Directed by Michelle MacLaren, Adam Bernstein, Vince Gilligan, Colin Bucksey, Michael Slovis, Bryan Cranston, Terry McDonough, Johan Renck, Rian Johnson, Scott Winant, Peter Gould, Tricia Brock, Bronwen Hughes, Tim Hunter, Jim McKay, Phil Abraham, John Dahl, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Charles Haid, Peter Medak, John Shiban, David Slade, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Sam Catlin
Written byVince Gilligan, Peter Gould, George Mastras, Sam Catlin, Moira Walley-Beckett, Thomas Schnauz, Gennifer Hutchison, John Shiban, J. Roberts, Patty Lin
Produced byStewart Lyons, Diane Mercer, Bryan Cranston, Karen Moore, Patty Lin
Executive producersVince Gilligan, Mark Johnson, Michelle MacLaren
Cinematography by Michael Slovis, Reynaldo Villalobos, Arthur Albert, Peter Reniers, Nelson Cragg, John Toll, Marshall Adams
Edited by Kelley Dixon, Skip Macdonald, Lynne Willingham, Chris McCaleb, Sharidan Sotelo
Music byDave Porter
Casting bySharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas, Kiira Arai
Production Design byMark S. Freeborn, Robb Wilson King
Art Direction byBjarne Sletteland, Marisa Frantz, Billy W. Ray, Paula Dal Santo, James F. Oberlander
Set Decoration byMichael Flowers, Brenda Meyers-Ballard, Susan Magestro, Marcia Calosio
Costume Design byKathleen Detoro, Jennifer L. Bryan, Malan Breton
Production CompanyHigh Bridge Entertainment
Gran Via Productions
Sony Pictures Television
Original NetworkAMC
Budget $3 million per episode

Cast & Character:

Main characters

  • Bryan Cranston as Walter White
  • Anna Gunn as Skyler White
  • Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
  • Dean Norris as Hank Schrader
  • Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader
  • RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr.
  • Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo “Gus” Fring (seasons 3–4; guest season 2)
  • Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman (seasons 3–5; recurring season 2)
  • Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut (seasons 3–5A; guest season 2)
  • Laura Fraser as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle (season 5B; recurring season 5A)
  • Jesse Plemons as Todd Alquist (season 5B; recurring season 5A)

Recurring characters

  • Steven Michael Quezada as Steven “Gomey” Gomez
  • Matt Jones as Brandon “Badger” Mayhew
  • Charles Baker as Skinny Pete
  • Rodney Rush as Christian “Combo” Ortega
  • Jessica Hecht as Gretchen Schwartz
  • Adam Godley as Elliott Schwartz
  • Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca
  • Mark Margolis as Hector Salamanca
  • Christopher Cousins as Ted Beneke
  • Krysten Ritter as Jane Margolis
  • John de Lancie as Donald Margolis
  • David Costabile as Gale Boetticher
  • Daniel Moncada as Leonel Salamanca
  • Luis Moncada as Marco Salamanca
  • Javier Grajeda as Juan Bolsa
  • Emily Rios as Andrea Cantillo
  • Jeremiah Bitsui as Victor
  • Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt
  • Lavell Crawford as Huell Babineaux
  • Tina Parker as Francesca Liddy
  • Bill Burr as Patrick Kuby
  • Michael Bowen as Jack Welker
  • Kevin Rankin as Kenny

Special guest appearances

  • Danny Trejo as Tortuga
  • DJ Qualls as Getz
  • Jim Beaver as Lawson
  • Steven Bauer as Don Eladio Vuente
  • Robert Forster as Ed Galbraith
  • Charlie Rose as himself

Storyline:

Breaking Bad follows Walter White, a struggling, frustrated high school chemistry teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico who becomes a crime lord in the local methamphetamine drug trade, driven to provide for his family financially after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Initially making only small batches of meth with his former student Jesse Pinkman in a rolling meth lab, Walter and Jesse eventually expand to make larger batches of an extremely pure, blue meth which creates high demand. Walter takes on the name “Heisenberg” to mask his identity. Because of his new business, Walter finds himself at odds with his family, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) through his brother-in-law Hank Schrader, the local gangs and the Mexican drug cartels (including their regional distributors), putting him and his family’s lives at risk. The events of the series take place between 2008 and 2010.

About Series:

Breaking Bad was created by Vince Gilligan, who aimed to develop a series where the protagonist transforms into the antagonist. Gilligan noted that television typically keeps characters in a self-imposed stasis to extend series longevity. Peter Gould mentioned that the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike “saved the show,” as producing two additional episodes in the first season would have led to a different creative direction, potentially resulting in cancellation by the third season.

Initially, the network ordered nine episodes for the first season, including the pilot, but the strike limited production to seven episodes and delayed the start of the second season. The original script was set in Riverside, California, but Albuquerque was chosen for filming due to favorable financial incentives from New Mexico.

Donna Nelson, a professor of organic chemistry, reviewed scripts, provided dialogue, and created chemical structures and equations used as props.

Breaking Bad premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, and concluded on September 29, 2013, after five seasons with 62 episodes. The first season received positive reviews, while subsequent seasons garnered unanimous acclaim for performances, direction, cinematography, writing, story, and character development. The series has since been hailed as one of the greatest television shows ever and has developed a cult following.

Viewership was fair in the first three seasons but increased significantly during the fourth and fifth seasons, particularly after the show became available on Netflix. The series finale drew high viewership, making it one of the most-watched cable shows in America.

Breaking Bad received numerous awards, including 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, eight Satellite Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabody Awards, and more. Bryan Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times, while Aaron Paul won for Outstanding Supporting Actor three times, and Anna Gunn won for Outstanding Supporting Actress twice.

In 2013, Breaking Bad was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed TV show of all time, and in 2023, it was voted the best TV series of the last 25 years by critics in a Rotten Tomatoes poll.

The series expanded into the larger Breaking Bad franchise, including Better Call Saul, a prequel featuring Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, and Giancarlo Esposito, which aired on AMC from February 8, 2015, to August 15, 2022. A sequel film, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, starring Aaron Paul, was released on Netflix and in theaters on October 11, 2019.

Episodes:

SeasonEpisodesFirst aired Last aired
17January 20, 2008March 9, 2008
213March 8, 2009May 31, 2009
313March 21, 2010June 13, 2010
413July 17, 2011October 9, 2011
516 (8+8)July 15, 2012
August 11, 2013
September 2, 2012
September 29, 2013

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