The Breaking Bad Zone: Bad done Good with style!
Breaking Bad is undoubtedly one of THE best TV shows that has ever graced our screens. The very fact that it remains in Netflix’s most watched charts. It still scores very highly on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and is constantly referred to as a comparison whenever the next big thing appears. It is all testament to this undesputed fact.
Obviously, whenever there is something this good you will always get the voices that say ‘I couldn’t get past the first season…’ ‘so slow’ ‘overrated’. This Zone is not for you guys, sorry, close the door on your way out.
For those of you smart enough to stay, this section celebrates the amazing success of Breaking Bad, from the impact it has had since it’s debut in 2008 to how it made this website’s namesake a world wide household name. Naturally, due to the fact the creators of this site are, let’s say in no uncertain terms ‘Jessie-holics’ (is that a thing? It is now…) things may at times slant towards the ‘co-star’. We will try and not be too obvious but make no apologies for this fact – you are, at the end of the day, visiting an Aaron Paul dedicated fan site… the clue is very much in the name.
In the beginning… there was rejection
The pitch was simply ‘Mr Chips becomes Scarface’. Vince Gilligan, who had made a name for himself working on The X-Files, wanted to take a likeable character and have him break bad. The idea that a middle-aged High School chemistry teacher would turn to making meth to ensure he leaves his family something, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, is, it’s fair to say a uniquely American one. The chances of that premise becoming an adored, stupidly successful and multi-award winning TV show was one that felt completely out of reach when Vince began pitching it to the studios.
“I get to ‘The End,’ [the two executives] look at each other and they say, ‘Oh god, I wish we could buy this.’ Then they said, ‘If we bought this, we’d be fired … We cannot put this on TNT, it’s meth, it can’t be meth, it’s reprehensible. We gotta ask,’ kind of halfheartedly, ‘could the guy be a counterfeiter instead?’ I said, ‘Well, no …’ They said, ‘Alright well, god bless you.'”
TNT Executives telling Vince Gilligan why they are rejecting the script
HBO, TNT rejected the script. FX took a look at it, and even optioned it until ultimately they decided they already had 3 male anti-hero TV shows airing, and didn’t want to add a 4th. In 2006 AMC took a look at the script, decided it was worth taking a chance on and when FX generously released the option they had on it, Breaking Bad’s story finally became real.
The Truth is Out There: Casting Breaking Bad
Vince Gilligan’s X-Files roots really played a key part in casting the two main male roles. Having seen Bryan Cranston’s performance with his own penned X-Files script for the episode ‘Drive’, Vince already knew who would make the perfect ‘Walter White’ for his show. It took some convincing for the AMC executives to agree but they finally relented. Cranston himself knew he wanted the role from the moment he read the script, but realises how big a role fate played in him being able to do it. For a long while there was talk of his other hit show ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ securing an eighth season, sets were kept up with the possibility until finally they decided it had completed its run. Had that eighth season been green-lit, then Cranston wouldn’t have been available to film the pilot.
The casting of the young ex-student that would set Walter White on his way to breaking bad took a little more time. Cranston has noted that when he signed on for the role of White, the ex-student was called Dupree, and was due to be killed in the 9th episode.
When Aaron Paul finally got his chance to audition for the newly named ‘Jesse Pinkman’ it couldn’t have come at a better time for him – see profile for more info
Chemistry in action – Walt & Jesse are born
In February 2007 work began on the production of the pilot episode. Vince Gilligan had taken the decision to direct it, and they had the luxury of 3 weeks to film it in, althought for part of that Gilligan was struck down with a heavy cold/flu.
If you are reading this, you should know that Breaking Bad is essentially Walter White’s story, how a mild-mannered high school chemistry discovers he’s dying, so in order to make some serious money for his family for after he’s gone he ‘breaks bad’.
Jesse Pinkman, a former student of Mr White turned druggie loser meth maker wannabe, enters the story to provide Walter White with an essential ‘in’ into the meth making business. ‘You know the business, and I know the chemistry.’ Back when the pilot was being written and pitched, Jesse Pinkman was only ever intended to be a temporary character. He wasn’t even called Jesse Pinkman, rather went by the name ‘Marion Alan Dupree’. The character would simply provide Walter White the gateway to propell him into more dangerous territory, all as a means of enacting revenge on those who ‘killed’ his fledgling business partner.
Whilst it remains unclear exactly when the decision NOT to kill the now named Jesse Pinkman character off happened, it’s been widely suggested that once they had seen the first signs of the ‘chemistry’ between him and Cranston, it was quickly decided to keep Jesse around. With Bryan Cranston saying that when he signed on it was very much still the plan to kill Jesse off, Aaron Paul has said that he had no idea at the time that the intention for the character was for him to die by episode 9.
Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston brought the two character’s to life, and hit it off immediately – both on screen and off. Bryan had described the early days of knowing Aaron as akin to a young puppy, whilst Aaron says he instantly fell in love with the man. Their on-screen battles and delivery of lines won many over, very quickly – especially the writing team who began to relish writing for them both. So much so, it’s really unclear when Jesse was saved but it’s clear it was at some point during those very early filmed episodes when they realised they’d struck gold with their two male stars.