Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad
a kate west recommendation
AMC Network





Vince Gilligan (a creative force behind "The X-Files" and "The Lone Gunmen") has created a daring new drama. "Breaking Bad" concerns a high school Chemistry teacher with terminal lung cancer. In order to leave his family (and especially his disabled son) with the best possible nest egg, he decides to put his chemical brain to work concocting the purest crystal meth the DEA has ever seen.

Bryan Cranston ("Malcolm in the Middle") plays the modest strait-laced teacher brilliantly, desperately driven down the road by fate towards becoming the town's next kingpin. Cranston has always done heart-wrenching drama extraordinarily well (as evidenced by a role in "The X-Files" when he was a man with an exploding brain) and can obviously do nuanced and broad comedy. The man can do practically anything.

With "viewer discretion" warnings galore, this show shocks and pulls no punches (blood, gore, murder, drugs and cancer), although the bleeped swearing is a bit odd. But absolutely worth a look to see one of the current best performances on television. Plus, hooray for filming television shows in widescreen!

Creator/Writer
Vince Gilligan

Director
Adam Bernstein

Series Cast
Aaron Paul ... Jesse Pinkman (8 episodes, 2008)
Bryan Cranston ... Walter White / ... (5 episodes, 2007-2008)
Steven Michael Quezada ... Gomez (5 episodes, 2008)
Carmen Serano ... Carmen (4 episodes, 2008)
Raymond Cruz ... Tuco (3 episodes)
Anna Gunn ... Skyler White (2 episodes, 2008)
Dean Norris ... Hank (2 episodes, 2008)
Betsy Brandt ... Marie (2 episodes, 2008)
RJ Mitte ... Walter White Jr. (2 episodes, 2008)
Maximino Arciniega ... Krazy 8 (2 episodes, 2008)
David House ... Dr. Delcavoli (2 episodes, 2008)
John Koyama ... Emilio (2 episodes, 2008)
Charles Baker ... Skinny Pete (2 episodes)
Jesus Jr. ... No Doze (2 episodes)