When did Breaking Bad premiere and how many episodes were made?
Breaking Bad premiered on AMC on the 20th of January 2008 and concluded on the 29th of September 2013. The series ran for five seasons and 62 episodes.
Questions about Breaking Bad
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who created Breaking Bad and what was the original concept?
Breaking Bad was created by Vince Gilligan, who had previously spent several years writing for The X-Files. His stated goal was to create a series in which the protagonist became the antagonist, turning the character, as he put it, from Mr. Chips into Scarface.
Why was Bryan Cranston cast as Walter White in Breaking Bad?
Vince Gilligan cast Bryan Cranston based on watching him in an X-Files episode called "Drive," which Gilligan had written. AMC executives were initially reluctant, having known Cranston mainly from his comedy role in Malcolm in the Middle, and had approached John Cusack and Matthew Broderick first. After both declined, the executives were persuaded by Cranston's X-Files performance.
How did Netflix affect Breaking Bad's viewership and survival?
Netflix arranged a deal with Sony to make Breaking Bad available after the airing of the fourth season, at a time when AMC had placed the show on a potential cancellation track. Viewership grew significantly as audiences binged the series, and the fifth-season premiere drew more than double the viewership of the fourth-season premiere. Gilligan credited Netflix at the 2013 Emmy Awards for keeping the show on the air.
What awards did Breaking Bad win during its run?
Breaking Bad won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards, 2 Peabody Awards, and a British Academy Television Award. Bryan Cranston won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times, Aaron Paul won Outstanding Supporting Actor three times, and Anna Gunn won Outstanding Supporting Actress twice. In 2013, Guinness World Records named it the highest-rated TV series of all time, citing its season 5 Metacritic score of 99 out of 100.
What spin-offs and sequels came out of Breaking Bad?
Breaking Bad gave rise to two additional productions. Better Call Saul, centered on Bob Odenkirk's character Saul Goodman, debuted on AMC on the 8th of February 2015 and concluded on the 15th of August 2022. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, a sequel film starring Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, was released on Netflix and in selected theaters on the 11th of October 2019.