Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is an American crime drama created by Vince Gilligan that premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008. Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it follows Walter White, a high-school chemistry teacher whose diagnosis with lung cancer drives him to manufacture methamphetamine. Bryan Cranston plays Walter, while Aaron Paul plays Jesse Pinkman, his former student and reluctant partner. The series ran for five seasons and concluded on September 29, 2013, after 62 episodes. Its premise turns Walter's scientific training into a criminal asset and examines the escalating costs of his choices on his family, associates, and city around him. At first, Walter tells his wife, Skyler White, that he is earning money through a second job, but his secret work with Jesse rapidly expands. They use an RV as a mobile laboratory, sell exceptionally pure blue methamphetamine, and become entangled with Albuquerque's drug trade. Dean Norris portrays Hank Schrader, Walter's brother-in-law and a Drug Enforcement Administration agent whose investigation increasingly approaches him. Anna Gunn plays Skyler, and RJ Mitte plays their son, Walter Jr. The supporting cast also includes Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader and Bob Odenkirk as lawyer Saul Goodman, a fixer whose services connect Walter to networks. Key adversaries include Tuco Salamanca, the volatile distributor played by Raymond Cruz, and Gus Fring, the fast-food executive and methamphetamine supplier played by Giancarlo Esposito. Gus operates Los Pollos Hermanos while concealing a sophisticated drug operation, and his conflict with Walter becomes central to the show's middle seasons. Jonathan Banks appears as Mike Ehrmantraut, Gus's methodical enforcer and later an uneasy associate of Walter and Jesse. The series used Albuquerque locations extensively, including sites associated with fictional businesses and homes. Its production helped establish New Mexico as a prominent filming destination; the project moved from the proposed Riverside, California, setting. The finale, "Felina," resolves Walter's return to Albuquerque after months in hiding and brings the story back to the compound where Jesse is held captive. Breaking Bad received sixteen Primetime Emmy Awards during its run. Cranston won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award four times for playing Walter; Paul won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series three times. The program also won two consecutive Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series, for its final two seasons. Gilligan served as showrunner, and the series later produced related screen works. It also led to Better Call Saul and the 2019 sequel film El Camino, which follows Jesse after the finale directly.