In the history of Television, Breaking Bad is widely considered one of, if not the best, TV series in history. But according to the show creator Vince Gilligan, it was all thanks to the timing that it became a cultural icon. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, he expanded upon the unimaginable success of the show, saying:
I honestly feel that way. I don’t know what we did right to make it go off like a skyrocket. It was just the right actors, the right place, at the right time. If Breaking Bad had been the exact same show, but it had come out 10 years sooner or 10 years later, maybe no one would be talking about it. Timing is luck, and luck is timing.
Giving credit to stars like Bryan Cranston for his legendary performance as the series protagonist, Walter White, Breaking Bad still rules pop culture conversations across the globe. Therefore, with success like this, it’s no wonder Apple is willing to invest so much in Gilligan’s new show, Pluribus.
With Vince Gilligan’s Successful Career, Apple Is Betting Big on Pluribus
Along with the original series, its spin-off, titled Better Call Saul, which is even considered better than Breaking Bad, any production company would jump at the chance to get the writer-director working for them. And luckily, it was Apple that finally sealed the deal with Gilligan for their upcoming series, Pluribus.
According to the aforementioned article, it was revealed that the per-episode cost of production for the Apple TV+ exclusive series is somewhere around $15 million. In comparison, the average cost of production for every episode of Breaking Bad was around $3 million at its peak, while at the start, it was extremely limited.
And with a total of 9 episodes in Season 1, the total estimated production cost of the show comes to a staggering $135+ million. In addition, Apple also announced that a second season of Pluribus had already been greenlit even before the release of the first season and would go into production soon.
This is one of the rarest cases of a production company having such confidence in the creator that it doesn’t seem to mind the money and resources it requires.
Breaking Bad Was Destined to Become Iconic, Even Without Lucky Timing
The destiny of Breaking Bad becoming an entertainment icon was always present in the form of storytelling, character design, and cultural influence.
Lead star Bryan Cranston himself revealed how a gradual change in the character into an antagonist was something that hadn’t been done on television before Gilligan implemented it, which revolutionized storytelling. At the same time, that change also managed to divide the audience in a manner that even many films failed to do.
Adding to it the breathtaking visuals, which were nothing shy of looking like scenes straight out of classic movies, was probably the closest that cinema could reach the silver screen at the time. Lastly, with the popularity of Meth as a recreational drug in the US slowly rising, the show managed to connect to the cultural shift at that time.
Therefore, even if it had flown under the radar back when it was released, it still would’ve eventually become just as revered as it is today.
Here’s more information on Breaking Bad.
What made you fall in love with Breaking Bad? Tell us in the comments below.
Breaking Bad is available to stream on Netflix (US).
