User:TheJoebro64/drafts/BrBa
Breaking Bad is an American neo-Western crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. It aired on AMC from January 20, 2008, to September 29, 2013, and ran for five seasons comprising 62 episodes. The ensemble cast includes Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, RJ Mitte, Betsy Brandt, Dean Norris, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, Jesse Plemons, and Laura Fraser. Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico between 2008 and 2010, Breaking Bad recounts the tragedy of Walter White (Cranston), a dispirited high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. Walt partners with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Paul), to produce and distribute crystal meth to secure his family's financial future before he dies. The series follows Walt and Jesse's exploits navigating the dangers of the criminal underworld and Walt's transformation from a modest teacher to a ruthless drug lord.
Gilligan conceived Breaking Bad in 2004
Premise
[edit]Breaking Bad is a neo-Western crime drama, thriller, and black comedy set in Albuquerque, New Mexico between 2008 and 2010. Esquire summarized the serial drama as "a modern-day Greek tragedy", about "a man who claims to be protecting his family but ends up destroying them".[1] The series follows Walter White, a dispirited high school chemistry teacher who has a midlife crisis after he is diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. He collaborates with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, to produce and distribute crystal meth to secure his family's financial future before he dies.
Characters
[edit]Narrative structure and techniques
[edit]Series creator Vince Gilligan described Breaking Bad's story, which chronicles the meek and law-abiding Walt's transformation into a ruthless drug lord, as turning "Mr. Chips into Scarface".[2] Breaking Bad follows a five-act structure similar to that of a Shakespeare play, with each season corresponding to a different act.[3] A thriller,[4] the series frequently employs plot twists
Every Breaking Bad episode begins with a cold open, which Vox described as "disconnected short films" occasionally unrelated to the episodes they precede. They serve to expand the fictional universe, establish character backstories, explain how the series' drug trade works, and tease later plot developments.[5]
Breaking Bad uses flashbacks and flashforwards
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Following the 2002 cancellation of The X-Files, on which he served as a writer and producer, Gilligan spent 1–2 years struggling to find work.[2] While discussing his struggles with his friend Thomas Schnauz in 2004, Schnauz joked that they could produce meth in a Winnebago RV.[2][6] The joke made Gilligan wonder why a law-abiding citizen would turn to meth production,[2] and he asked Schnauz for permission to continue developing the idea.[6] Noting that television series often maintained a specific status quo with static characters, Gilligan began formulating a show about change, in which the protagonist becomes the antagonist.[6]
Gilligan knew his concept was risky and would be difficult to pitch without powerful factors to support it, such as strong cinematography and acting.[1] It was rejected several times before he pitched it to AMC in 2007.[1][6] AMC had been searching for a second original series following the premiere of its first, Mad Men, in 2006, and wanted a show that was set in the present and not a period drama like Mad Men.[6] AMC president Charlie Collier was struck by the pitch[1]
Writing
[edit]I'd have to think that pulling the trigger and killing someone would haunt you for the rest of your days. That's not what's portrayed on TV normally. I thought, let's have every action have its consequences. Let's revisit tiny moments from past seasons and see if we can milk more drama from out of them.
Gilligan sought to explore consequences, which he found television series did not portray. He wanted Breaking Bad "to feel as real as possible" and the writers spent many hours determining the ramifications that small moments in prior episodes would have in later seasons.[2]
Casting
[edit]Filming
[edit]Design
[edit]Episodes
[edit]Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Viewership
[edit]Accolades
[edit]Thematic analysis
[edit]Consequences
[edit]Fundamentally, Breaking Bad is a story about actions having consequences.[6]
Family
[edit]Pride
[edit]Legacy
[edit]Retrospective assessments
[edit]Cultural impact
[edit]Franchise
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Dibdin, Emma (January 16, 2018). "'It had never been done on television before': The oral history of Breaking Bad". Esquire. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f MacInnes, Paul (May 18, 2012). "Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan: the man who turned Walter White from Mr Chips into Scarface". The Guardian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ St. James, Emily (January 20, 2008). "Breaking Bad became one of the best TV shows ever by borrowing a trick from Shakespeare". Vox. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Poniewozik, James (June 21, 2010). "Breaking Bad: TV's Best Thriller". Time. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
- ^ St. James, Emily (October 11, 2016). "This Breaking Bad technique has influenced everything from Walking Dead to This Is Us". Vox. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Segal, David (July 6, 2011). "The dark art of 'Breaking Bad'". The New York Times. pp. 1–4. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2011.