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Vince Gilligan struck gold when he created the crime drama seriesBreaking Bad. The transformation of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White from being a chemistry teacher to the kingpin of a dr*g empire was one of the most interesting arcs on TV and is the reason why the show is considered to be among the greatest.
Gilligan was reportedly sure thatBreaking Badwould end with the journey of White turning into an antagonistic character. Though he was not sure how long it would take, he knew that the series did not follow traditional TV norms. Hence, the writer’s room continued to delve into White’s darkness even if it ran the risk of losing viewers.
Vince Gilligan Risked Alienating His Viewers As Walter White Got Darker
Breaking Badis often considered to be one of the greatest TV shows of all time and is ranked among the likes of shows likeThe Sopranos,The Wire,and more. The AMC show saw Bryan Cranston play Walter White, a chemistry teacher who turns to a life of crime when he is diagnosed with cancer as a means to secure his family’s future.
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While the motivation for Walter to begin manufacturing pure crystal meth is shown to be his family, as the series progressed, fans saw that it was a matter of control for the man. After being bought out of his own firm Gray Matter and being berated by his brother-in-law, Walt goes on a power trip when he creates a product that is worth buying.
As Walt’s character became darker, creatorVince Gilliganknew that he risked alienating his viewers as the sympathy that they may have had for him in the beginning began to fade. He said toThe Daily Beast,
Breaking Bad is a show that hopefully gains new viewers with every episode and every new season. But if I’m being honest I have to think that we’re also losing viewers with every episode, because Walt does indeed get darker with every episode that we air.
Gilligan mentioned that the writer’s room had to stay true to the story of transformation that he had originally conceived and go forward with courage even if the show began receiving critical and audience acclaim.
Vince Gilligan’s Gamble Paid Off Due To Fans’ Fascination With The Character
Grey characters are a dime a dozen now but a slow-burn transformation like Walter White on TV, which was considered to be a family-friendly medium was impossible to fathom back in the late 2000s. While shows likeThe Sopranoshad Tony Soprano, who was born into a life of crime, Walter’s willing deep dive into the underworld was a gamble.
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Creator Vince Gilligan managed to crack it, however, with some brilliant writing and performance fromBryan Cranston. He said to The Daily Beast,
I have to believe that Walt is ever interesting. His character is ever interesting to me. Bryan Cranston has to climb into his head every day to play the part. My writers and I have to do the same thing, on a different level. It’s a dark place to be sometimes, but it’s a fascinating place to be. Walt is a case study. He’s a very interesting, complex, damaged individual with a lot of wonderful facets that even when I feel ‘oh my god, this guy is dark’ I always feel this guy is interesting.
The audience seemed to feel the same too as they stuck to the show till the end of season 5 where the character finally met his end. It also spawned a filmEl Caminoand a spinoff prequel seriesBetter Call Saul, which have fared well.
Breaking Badis available to stream on Netflix.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Breaking BadVince Gilligan
