On the small screen, fans have been treated to some truly spectacular shows that have conquered mainstream media in the last decade. Just think of how huge shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones were at their peak. People couldn't go anywhere without seeing these shows in some capacity.
Breaking Bad just so happens to be one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and many elements from the show are holding up better than ever. Despite its greatness, there was once a point when this show was nearly cancelled.
Let's take a look back and see what almost happened.
'Breaking Bad' Is A Legendary Show
To say that Breaking Bad is a modern classic would a bit of an understatement, as there are few modern shows that have come close to matching the acclaim and appreciation that this show has received. It's in a league of its own, and its still being discovered and loved by people everywhere.
Starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad is as good as it gets for a TV series. Despite having a ton of potential early on, it was difficult for the show to get picked up.
As creator Vince Gilligan told Esquire, "Breaking Bad didn’t get a "no" from everybody in town, only because we were smart enough not to pitch to everybody in town. I figured this was not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, so it really wasn’t surprising that the show got turned down a lot."
Thankfully, AMC got the show, and it turned it into a classic. Even the show's spin-offs have been able to find a ton of success.
Even Its Spin-Offs Have Been Hits
Crafting a hit series is insanely difficult to do, but taking a spin-off idea and turning it into gold is exponentially harder. The expectations alone are more than enough to crush shows before they even get going, but if a spin-off finds success, then a franchise will reach the stratosphere. Lo and behold, the Breaking Bad franchise has turned into a juggernaut thanks to additional works.
Better Call Saul has been thriving for 5 seasons and 50 episodes, and it could not have been a better launch for the franchise's foray into spin-off territory. Saul Goodman was a wildly popular Breaking Bad character, and he has been sublime on his own these last several years. The show's final season airs next year, and fans cannot wait to see how things get wrapped up.
Other projects from the Breaking Bad universe include the film, El Camino, and the true crime show, The Broken and the Bad. Needless to say, fans are hoping that more projects will be coming down the pipe at some point.
The franchise is thriving these days, but had things played out differently earlier on, none of what fans see now would be possible.
It Was Nearly Cancelled Early On
Incredibly, Breaking Bad was going to be axed after its third season, which seems almost impossible to believe. The show was wisely shopped around to gauge interest, and they found more than they bargained for by doing so.
According to ScreenRant, "Following the discussion, Sony Pictures, the series' distributor, began shopping Breaking Bad around to continues its run. FX emerged as an interested party, which was ironic considering they passed on developing the series after obtaining the original rights. When AMC learned that other networks were taking the bait, the network balked at the thought and renewed Breaking Bad for season 4."
This was precisely what the show needed to keep the good times rolling, and the fans were the lucky ones in the situation.
Cheat Sheet also notes that, "The real shift for Breaking Bad happened around the same time when Netflix launched the first three seasons on their streaming platform. With a whole new audience of eager viewers, Breaking Bad became more popular than ever.
Season 4 was successful and season 5 was phenomenal. By the final installment of Breaking Bad, the viewership numbers were way up."
The show's explosion in popularity thanks to landing on Netflix was instrumental in shaping its legacy, and to this day, it's largely considered one of the greatest of all time. The writing and acting were always tremendous, but this change finally got the right eyes on the show, and the rest is history.
Breaking Bad is a legendary series, and things nearly played out in an entirely different way years ago. Everything, however, worked out like it should have.