Nearly two years after it ended, Breaking Bad is still as relevant and addictive as ever. While we go through withdrawals from the world of Walter White thanks to the season finale of its spin-off Better Call Saul, we’ve decided to take a look behind the scenes of Breaking Bad.
1. Jesse only refers to Mr. White by his first name twice throughout the entire series.
2. The series ran for 62 episodes. Samarium, an element with atomic number 62, has an isotope that’s used to treat certain cancers, including lung cancer.
3. Jesse Pinkman was originally supposed to be killed off of the show by the end of season one, but he stuck around because Aaron Paul.
4. Bryan Cranston’s previous appearance on The X-Files, working with Vince Gilligan, is what convinced Gilligan that he was the perfect actor for Breaking Bad.
The X-Files had difficulty casting Cranston’s character for the episode “Drive.” The character is seemingly deranged and traps Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) in a car on a cross-country drive. Cranston’s ability to make that villain sympathetic is what landed him the role of Walter White. Aaron Paul also appeared on the sci-fi series.
5. The GPS coordinates that repeatedly appear throughout the show, N34 59 20 W106 36 52, actually corresponds to the location of the studio where the show filmed.
6. Showtime, HBO, and TNT all initially passed on Breaking Bad.
FX began production on it, but eventually passed in favor of Courteney Cox’s Dirt in an attempt to increase female viewership. HBO wasn’t interested and TNT liked it but couldn’t have a meth kingpin as a main character.
7. Even though it’s a show about crystal meth, the actors smoke sugar or rock candy (and don’t inhale), not real meth.
8. There are a bunch of fan theories that Jesse Pinkman was the drug dealer for The Walking Dead‘s Merle Dixon.
In fact, there are theories that the entire Breaking Bad series is a prequel to The Walking Dead.
9. Even though Walter White is supposed to be the chemistry genius, his boss at the carwash, Bogdan Wolynetz, is the real chem wiz.
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Marius Stan, the impeccably eyebrowed actor who plays White’s boss, has a PhD in the subject and continues to work in the field. Breaking Bad was his first acting experience.
10. While filming, actress Julia Minesci, who played Wendy, played such a convincing prostitute that filming was actually interrupted at one point when a non-actor approached her, seeking her services.
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11. Samuel L. Jackson tried to create a Breaking Bad/Avengers crossover.
Both filmed nearby in New Mexico, inspiring Jackson to try to earn his character, Nick Fury, a cameo on the AMC show. He wanted to appear at Pollos Hermanos ordering a three piece with the character’s eye patch on, but producers of the show denied his request. It seems we’ll just have to settle for his awesome Walter White monologue instead.
12. The total body count of the show is 270.
167 of those deaths were from the plane crash in the season 2 episode “ABQ.” Of those remaining deaths, being shot is the most common; 56 of the 98 killings are from shooting-related deaths.
13. Both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have Breaking Bad-inspired tattoos to commemorate their time on the show.
Cranston has the show’s logo, BrBa, tattooed on his fingers, while Paul has “No Half Measures,” the title of a pivotal season three episode, tatted on his arm.
14. The title of the final episode, “Felina,” is an anagram for “finale.”
The letters can also spell out the atomic numbers for various elements: Fe Li Na, or blood, meth, and tears.
15. Jesse and Walt Jr. are the only two regular characters from season one to never meet during the series.
We agree, that is bullshit.
16. The first episode of Season 5’s second half is dedicated to Kevin Cordasco.
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Cordasco was a teenage Breaking Bad superfan who passed away in May 2013. Before passing, Kevin had the chance to meet Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, and other members of the Breaking Bad family. He was even offered copies of the script to learn how the show ends, but he declined because he didn’t think he could keep the secret.
17. The day when they filmed Mike’s death, the entire crew wore black armbands in his honor.
18. Baby Holly was named after Vince Gilligan’s girlfriend, Holly.
19. The entire series was actually just a bad dream that Cranston’s Malcolm in the Middle character Hal had.
Just kidding, but we wish that really was the case because Hal was by far the best dad TV has ever seen.
