Breaking Bad
Overview
Breaking Bad is a 2008 crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan, widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows ever made. The series is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a mild-mannered, overqualified high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Desperate to secure his family's financial future before he dies, Walt uses his chemistry knowledge to start cooking crystal meth. He partners with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), a small-time, struggling addict and dealer. The series traces Walt's transformation from a sympathetic, desperate man into a ruthless, ego-driven criminal mastermind who adopts the alias "Heisenberg." Over five seasons, Walt manipulates, kills, and destroys everyone around him. He watches as Jesse's girlfriend Jane dies from a heroin overdose, he poisons a child to manipulate Jesse, he orders the murder of his former ally Mike Ehrmantraut, and he allows his brother-in-law Hank to be killed. The series is a meditation on pride, masculinity, and the corrupting influence of power. Bryan Cranston delivers one of the most celebrated performances in television history, making Walt simultaneously sympathetic and monstrous. Aaron Paul is heartbreaking as Jesse, the show's moral compass, who is repeatedly traumatized and manipulated. The supporting cast is equally brilliant: Anna Gunn as Walt's wife Skyler, who becomes complicit in his crimes; Dean Norris as Hank, the DEA agent who is hunting Heisenberg; Betsy Brandt as Marie; RJ Mitte as Walt Jr.; Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring, the calm, terrifying drug lord; Jonathan Banks as Mike, the weary fixer; and Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman, the "criminal lawyer." The series is known for its stunning cinematography, its use of time-lapses and close-ups, and its iconic scenes: the "I am the one who knocks" speech, the "Say my name" scene, the plane crash, and the final confrontation with the neo-Nazis. Breaking Bad won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series twice, and Outstanding Lead Actor for Bryan Cranston four times. It also won two Golden Globes. The series finale, "Felina," is widely considered one of the greatest series finales of all time, with Walt finally admitting that he did it for himself — because he liked it.
