How Vince Gilligan came up with the idea for ‘Breaking Bad’
The story of how Vince Gilligan created the groundbreaking television series Breaking Bad, widely considered one of the greatest shows in history, is almost as intriguing as the show itself – a tale of inspiration emerging from the unlikeliest circumstances. Speaking at the Austin Film Festival, Gilligan shared how the show’s initial concept came to life during a phone conversation with a friend.
In the early 2000s, Gilligan found himself in a bit of a dry spell. He was unemployed, as was his producer friend, with whom he had worked on The X-Files. As Gilligan recalled: “I was on the phone to a buddy of mine, Tom Schnauz; we were truly worried about the fact that we didn’t have much in the way of income coming in. I wasn’t working at that moment, neither was he.” After the conclusion of The X-Files about three years earlier, they were both contemplating their next steps in the industry.
During this conversation, Gilligan joked about possibly becoming a greeter at Walmart, underlining the somewhat desperate nature of their situation. But then, in the midst of their shared anxiety, a seemingly offhand comment from Schnauz shifted the direction of Gilligan’s career dramatically.
“And then he [Tom] said, ‘What about if we just pool our resources, buy an RV and put a meth lab in the back’,” recalled Gilligan. The idea struck a chord with him and sparked a burst of creativity. “I don’t know what it was, but suddenly I was intensely intrigued. I’m not sure where it came from. But the idea of a guy who would do such a thing, an otherwise good man doing a reprehensible deed, in order to save his family: that was the early impetus.”
Having seized on this intriguing idea, Gilligan set about developing the show’s complex and morally ambiguous protagonist, Walter White, who transforms from a bland high school chemistry teacher into a ruthless drug lord. He aimed to create a story that would immediately capture audiences, to “hook ’em from the start”.
In the Breaking Bad pilot episode, Gilligan cleverly opens with a flash-forward, a decision he explains was made for a very “meat and potatoes schematic” reason. “Simply put,” Gilligan said, “It was me as a writer thinking, I’m going to take a very bland, milk toast-ish guy and turn him into a bad guy. But if I start him off bland and really take the time to set this character up for the audience, he’s gonna be a kind of bland character for at least the first two acts. I need to give them a reason to watch.”
And thus, Breaking Bad was born out of a casual conversation between two unemployed TV writers. From such an unlikely seed of inspiration, Gilligan and Schnauz would go on to create what is widely considered one of the greatest stories ever told on television or in film.
