Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
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Breaking Bad

"Change the equation."

9.0
Yr 2008
Status Ended
Drama Crime
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 95 /100

Breaking Bad is widely celebrated as one of the greatest television dramas in history. Critics consistently praise the series for its meticulous character study, detailing the moral decay and transformation of Walter White. The show is recognized for its top-tier performances, particularly from leads Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, and its seamless blend of dark humor, gripping tension, and novelistic storytelling.

While the first season was occasionally viewed as having minor "growing pains" as it established its premise, the series quickly solidified itself as a boundary-pushing staple of the golden era of cable television. Reviewers frequently highlight the show's ability to force audiences to confront the ugly, villainous evolution of its protagonist and the devastating impact of his choices on those around him.

“Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time.”

“Breaking Bad delivers a dark character study in the first season that shows promise with a very intriguing take on a no so intriguing concept.”

“Breaking Bad is telling a darkly funny and very gripping story about a character who starts out weak and victimized, then empowers himself by cooking meth.”

“Breaking Bad presented us with something entirely novel (and novelistic)... the growth, decay and transformation of a central character.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Netflix Standard with Ads
US • UK • CA
Netflix
CA • UK • US
Why fans love it

The transformation of a chemistry teacher into a drug dealer serves as the engine for this crime drama set in New Mexico. Bryan Cranston plays a man diagnosed with cancer who abandons his conventional life to manufacture crystal meth. The series relies on the slow development of a broken moral compass, tracking how a desire for family security morphs into an exercise in pure narcissism.

The show succeeds by grounding its dark premise in the consequences of criminal choices. Rather than prioritizing fast-paced action, the narrative focuses on the inevitable collision between a suburban existence and a violent underground market. Characters are forced to weigh long-term survival against their own deteriorating ethics, making the evolution of the main protagonist feel like a study in calculated self-destruction.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 9
Longest run 62 eps
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston
as Walter White
62 episodes
Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul
as Jesse Pinkman
62 episodes
Anna Gunn
Anna Gunn
as Skyler White
62 episodes
RJ Mitte
RJ Mitte
as Walter White Jr.
62 episodes
Dean Norris
Dean Norris
as Hank Schrader
62 episodes
Betsy Brandt
Betsy Brandt
as Marie Schrader
62 episodes
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito
as Gustavo Fring
28 episodes
Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
as Saul Goodman
43 episodes
Show 67 more
Steven Michael Quezada as Steven Gomez 33 episodes Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut 36 episodes Max Arciniega as Krazy-8 3 episodes Cesar Garcia as No-Doze 3 episodes Jesus Jr. as Gonzo 3 episodes Judith Rane as Office Manager 2 episodes David Ury as Spooge 2 episodes Dale Dickey as Spooge's Woman 2 episodes David House as Dr. Delcavoli 7 episodes Sam McMurray as Dr. Victor Bravenec 2 episodes John de Lancie as Donald Margolis 4 episodes Danny Trejo as Tortuga 2 episodes Michael Bofshever as Mr. Pinkman 3 episodes Dan Desmond as Mr. Gardiner 2 episodes Caleb Landry Jones as Louis 2 episodes Julie Dretzin as Pamela 3 episodes Tom Kiesche as Clovis 4 episodes Luis Moncada as Marco Salamanca 5 episodes Michael Bryan French as Doctor 2 episodes Mike Seal as Rival Dealer #1 3 episodes Marius Stan as Bogdan Wolynetz 5 episodes Jere Burns as Group Leader 4 episodes Christopher Dempsey as E.M.T 3 episodes David Costabile as Gale Boetticher 7 episodes Javier Grajeda as Juan Bolsa 3 episodes Maurice Compte as Gaff 4 episodes Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt 10 episodes Christopher Cousins as Ted Beneke 13 episodes Michael Shamus Wiles as ASAC George Merkert 11 episodes Mike Batayeh as Dennis Markowski 3 episodes Chris Freihofer as Dan Wachsberger 3 episodes Jeremiah Bitsui as Victor 8 episodes Tina Parker as Francesca 9 episodes Louis Ferreira as Declan 3 episodes Morse Bicknell as Declan's Driver 4 episodes Gonzalo Menendez as Detective Kalanchoe 3 episodes Bill Burr as Kuby 5 episodes Jason Douglas as Detective Munn 3 episodes Lavell Crawford as Huell 11 episodes Carmen Serano as Carmen Molina 9 episodes Emily Rios as Andrea Cantillo 9 episodes Todd Terry as SAC Ramey 5 episodes Jessica Hecht as Gretchen Schwartz 5 episodes Charles Baker as Skinny Pete 15 episodes Matt Jones as Badger 12 episodes Adam Godley as Elliott Schwartz 3 episodes Michael Bowen as Uncle Jack 7 episodes Kevin Rankin as Kenny 7 episodes Tait Fletcher as Lester 5 episodes Patrick Sane as Frankie 6 episodes Rodney Rush as Combo 5 episodes Daniel Moncada as Leonel Salamanca 6 episodes Nigel Gibbs as APD Detective Tim Roberts 4 episodes Kaija Bales as Kaylee Ehrmantraut 5 episodes Tess Harper as Mrs. Pinkman 4 episodes Mark Margolis as Tío Salamanca 8 episodes Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca 4 episodes Krysten Ritter as Jane Margolis 9 episodes Julia Minesci as Wendy 3 episodes Laura Fraser as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle 9 episodes Jesse Plemons as Todd 11 episodes Antonio Leyba as Rival Dealer #2 3 episodes Angelo Martinez as Tomas 3 episodes Ashley Kajiki as Pollos Manager 3 episodes Mary Sue Evans as Janice 3 episodes Ian Posada as Brock Cantillo 8 episodes Matthew T. Metzler as Matt 5 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Breaking Bad overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

new mexico drug dealer narcissism psychopath terminal illness outlaw dark comedy cancer tragedy drugs criminal meth lab drug lord high school teacher dea agent neo-western albuquerque, new mexico criminal lawyer fall from grace cartel mexican cartel male egos crystal meth dark methamphetamine thriller violent tortured genius
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
January 20, 2008
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
18,400