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Vince Gilligan’sBreaking Badis a masterclass in writing and performance. The legendary TV show is often ranked among the greats due to its dramatic subject matter and incredible performances from the cast, led by Bryan Cranston. A story of a cancer-struck chemistry teacher transforming into the kingpin of a drug empire is one for the history books.
Gilligan, who previously wrote episodes ofThe X-Filesreportedly almost moved on fromBreaking Badafter failing to mount it on any premium network. After AMC loved the pitch and commissioned a nine-episode first season, the 2007 WGA strikes reportedly led to a cutdown of two episodes. However, Gilligan found this to be a blessing more than a curse.
Vince Gilligan felt that the WGA strikes savedBreaking Badfrom being shut down
A TV show about a down-on-his-luck chemistry teacher, who after getting diagnosed with lung cancer decides to provide for his family by manufacturing crystal meth was hardly the best sell for an ad-supported network that depended on family viewing. However, AMC reportedly loved creatorVince Gilligan’spitch so much that they commissioned it.
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Breaking Badhad almost everything going against it despite having a terrific pilot. The show featuredBryan Cranston, the comedic actor known for his eccentric role inMalcolm in the Middle, playing the serious protagonist. It was also about a controversial subject matter and was designed to change the lead character completely by the end of the series.
Despite its apparent un-sellability, the pilot convinced AMC to commission a nine-episode first season. Gilligan was reportedly not in the writer’s room when they were cracking the final two episodes of the season and the lack of scripts would have led to them being shut down. However, the 2007 WGA strikes led AMC to cut short the order to seven episodes.
Gilligan considered this a godsend that led to the eventual popularity of one of the greatest shows on TV. He said toEsquire,
It was a terrible time for so many people, the strike, but for me, it was a godsend. I had never run a show before, and by the tail end of our first season, I was spending time in the wrong place…At just about the time we would have had to shut down for lack of scripts, which in those early days might well have been a death knell for the series, the WGA went on strike, thus saving my a*s, for which I will be forever grateful.
The first season received incredible accolades despite it being at the beginning stages. Bryan Cranston even won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Actor, which would be the first of six wins in the years to come.
Vince Gilligan almost killed off one fan-favorite character in season one ofBreaking Bad
There are several moments inBreaking Badwhen it is apparent that Bryan Cranston’s Walter White is at risk of getting caught. He is not as well-versed in the criminal world as the rest of his associates, his family is unaware and is far removed from this world, and his brother-in-law is a DEA agent. The lack of imagination in people is what is saving him.
These incredible moments are spaced out during its five-season run and are all the more satisfying. However, due to the uncertainty in the show’s survival after the first season, creator Vince Gilligan reportedly decided to end the season with an important death so that people would be curious about season 2.
Vince Gilligan: “I wanted it to look like The Godfather” on His Toughest ‘Breaking Bad’ Mission That Changed Television Forever, Literally
While he had already decided against killing off Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman due to the actor’s talent (and the world is thankful for that), Gilligan had reportedly planned onkilling off Dean Norris’ Hank Schrader, the loud-mouthed yet disciplined DEA agent who is Walt’s brother-in-law. Gilligan said,
I was going to kill off the character of Hank at the end of that first season, having originally planned to kill Jesse, and changed my tune on that pretty quickly because I realized how great Aaron Paul was. Of course, Dean Norris was just as great, but I figured I ought to sacrifice one of the main characters at the end of Season One because that’s what the ballsy shows do!
Due to the reduced season order after the WGA strikes began, Vince Gilligan reportedly decided against it and Hank Schrader lived to fight another day. It led to the absolutely gut-wrenching scene in the season 5 episode ‘Ozymandias’, which is often regarded as one of the greatest episodes on TV.
Breaking Badis available to stream on Netflix.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2416
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
