February 25, 2017 | Jeff Myers

Cripplingly Addictive Facts About Breaking Bad


Widely regarded as one of the greatest television series ever made, Breaking Bad aired on the AMC network for five seasons from January 20th, 2008 to September 29th, 2013. It tells the story of Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher who turns to a life of crime after receiving a diagnosis of inoperable lung cancer. According to creator Vince Gilligan, his goal with Walter White was to turn him from “Mr. Chips into Scarface.” The show has received so many awards, including multiple Emmys and Golden Globes, that in 2013, Breaking Bad set a Guinness World Record as most critically acclaimed show of all time.

Here are some facts you might not know about your favorite show about a chemistry teacher turned kingpin.


Breaking Bad Facts

35. Art Imitates Life

Advertisement

Although Breaking Bad is really more of a cautionary tale, it wasn’t enough to dissuade several teachers who were hard-up for cash. William Duncan, Iriny Kristy, Marc Hodges, and Stephen Doran are all teachers who ended up either producing and/or selling crystal meth (“crystal”). The most similar case came in 2008, when an Alabama man earned a spot on his state’s Most Wanted list for building a thriving drug empire. Although he was neither a teacher nor had cancer, he was named Walter White.

Breaking Bad factsPixabay

Advertisement

34. The Kings of Comedy

Breaking Bad featured a lot of comedians because Vince Gilligan was of the firm belief that “If you can do comedy, you can do drama.” Amongst its cast were Bob Oedenkirk, Bill Burr, and Lavell Crawford. Early on in his career, Bryan Cranston also spent a few months as an unremarkable comedian.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

33. But Could He Pull Off the Hat?

Walter White first came up with the street name "Heisenberg" in his Season 1 meeting with Tuco. The real Heisenberg was one of the most important physicists of the 20th century, winning a Nobel Prize for developing a theory of quantum mechanics.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Heisenberg first from left and other science dudes 

Advertisement

32. Zombie Makeup

The makeup depicting Gus Fring’s grisly death was done by the prosthetics team behind AMC’s other hugely successful series, The Walking Dead. Does this mean there’s a chance that Gus could return… as a zombie?

Breaking Bad factsBreaking Bad, Sony Pictures Television

Advertisement

31. The White House

The White family home is an actual home in New Mexico. A woman named Fran has lived there since 1973, and she doesn’t mind the hundreds of cars that slow down in front of her house every month to take pictures. She does, however, take issue with the full pizzas thrown onto her roof because, seriously, what an unoriginal waste of pizza!

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Walter White's house

Advertisement

30. It’s the Journey, Not the Destination

Charles Baker, who played Skinny Pete, practiced piano three hours a day for a month so he could pull off a virtuoso performance of Bach’s Solfeggietto in the music shop at the beginning of season five. Unfortunately, only the intro made the cut.

Breaking Bad factsPixabay

Advertisement

29. Still Not Healthy

Julia Minesci, the actress who very convincingly played Wendy, the addicted hooker, has actually run the Hawaii Ironman six times, the Germany Ironman once, and countless marathons.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

28. Four out of Five Dentists Agree

One of Gilligan’s big regrets is that Aaron Paul’s teeth were way too perfect for them to be in Jesse Pinkman’s mouth. This is a character who took tons of beatings as well as smoked crystal, both of which are dental no-nos. However, nothing was done about it because, according to Gilligan, “removing real teeth from actors is a real non-starter.”

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

27. Despite His Nice Teeth

Jesse Pinkman was originally supposed to be gone by the ninth episode, but Aaron Paul’s portrayal was so impressive that Vince Gilligan spent the hiatus caused by the writer’s strike retooling the show to keep the character on.

Breaking Bad factsBreaking Bad, Sony Pictures Television

Factinate

Sign up to our newsletter.

History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.

Thank you!
Error, please try again.
Advertisement

26. Bait and Switch

The GPS coordinates that Walt hid in plain sight on a Lotto ticket don’t actually point towards $80M in cash. In reality, they point to Q Studios in Albuquerque, where Breaking Bad is shot, which is probably less of a legal issue than sending fans into the middle of the New Mexico desert to die.

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsWikimedia Commons, AllenS

Advertisement

25. Not As Prestigious as the Rhodes

An Albuquerque addiction clinic leveraged the popularity of the show to help get New Mexicans off of drugs. They even offer patients the chance to win a “Breaking Addiction” scholarship that entitles them to 12 weeks of free rehab worth thousands of dollars.

Breaking Bad factsShutterstock

Advertisement

24. You Got the Wong Guys

Bryan Cranston and his brother once worked at a Florida restaurant run by a tyrannical chef named Peter Wong. When the chef was found murdered, the police visited the restaurant looking for suspects with motive, only to get the reply that, “Everybody talked about killing Peter Wong. That’s all we talked about.” Unfortunately, it just so happened that Cranston and his brother had recently quit and set off across America on their motorcycles, which looked rather suspicious. So for a brief moment in time, Bryan Cranston was wanted for murder.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

23. Bad Hombres

Daniel and Luis Moncado, the brothers who play the mute assassin cousins, have both been in gangs and served prison time. Luis actually has the letters “F” and “U” tattooed on his eyelids. He described the horrifying process of acquiring these tats. “Your eyelid is so thin the needle will go through and puncture your eye. You gotta put a spoon.” Yes. A friggin’ spoon. UNDER THE EYELID. Fork me.

Breaking Bad factsBreaking Bad, Sony Pictures Television

Advertisement

22. X-Phile

Vince Gilligan got his start as a writer and producer on the sci-fi series, The X-Files. A huge fan of the series, he sent a script to Fox, which became the season 2 episode, “Soft Light.” He went on to write 29 more episodes and produce 44 others.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

21. The Need for Speed

Gilligan and Bryan Cranston crossed paths for the first time while Gilligan was still with The X-Files. Cranston played a racist roofer who had to drive due west at breakneck speed to prevent his head from exploding. Gilligan said he needed someone who could play “a guy who could be scary and kind of loathsome but at the same time had a deep, resounding humanity.” Now who does that sound like?

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsShutterstock

Advertisement

20. In the End We Go Back to the Beginning

The last scene to be filmed in Breaking Bad was Walt and Jesse’s cooking flashback in the episode Ozymandias.

Breaking Bad factsBreaking Bad, Sony Pictures Television

Advertisement

19. Clear Improvement

Because of the popularity of Breaking Bad, crystal producers in the US started putting blue food dye into their product and charging higher prices, telling their customers that the blue stuff is stronger. However, the discerning addict would know that pure stuff is colorless.

Breaking Bad factsShutterstock

Advertisement

18. Form after Function

Heisenberg’s signature hat became a part of Cranston’s costume primarily to keep his shaved head from burning.

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

17. Don’t Stop Belizing

When Saul suggested that Walt send Hank “on a trip to Belize,” it was an obvious euphemism that had nothing to do with Belize. However, the Belize Tourism Board extended an open invitation to the cast and crew to take an all-expenses-paid trip to see that a trip to Belize was, in fact, not as ominous as Saul made it sound.

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

16. Tuco-To-Go

Tuco, one of Walt and Jesse’s first enemies, was supposed to be a thorn in the duo’s side all the way through season two. Unfortunately, Raymond Cruz, the actor who played Tuco, became a regular on “The Closer” and could no longer appear on Breaking Bad.

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsWikipédia

Advertisement

15. Boom!

Gilligan got the idea to use mercury fulminate from “Mister Roberts,” the Henry Fonda movie in which Jack Lemmon’s character was “always blowing up nothings on this old navy ship with mercury fulminate.” When Gilligan found out that mercury fulminate looked a bit like crystal, one of the more iconic Heisenberg moments was born.

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

14. Walter White is No Martha Stewart

Methylamine, the chemical that spurred Walt and his gang to rob a train, is actually not that difficult to make. Some chemists have suggested that, with the right ingredients, it could be synthesized in a kitchen sink. Of course, an episode featuring Walt standing in his kitchen for a few hours wouldn’t have nearly the same suspense.

Breaking Bad factsPixabay

Advertisement

13. What’s the Deal with All this blue stuff?

Many of Breaking Bad’s cast members also showed up on Seinfeld (the 90s sitcom, not the man himself). Bryan Cranston played Tom Whatley, a stingy dentist who helped push the term “regifting” into the popular lexicon. Anna Gunn played Jerry’s supposedly unfaithful girlfriend. And Bob Odenkirk had a role as Elaine’s sexually-frustrated boyfriend.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

12. Midlife madness.

Walter White was originally written to be a man in his 40s, but AMC felt that 40 was too early for a midlife crisis and suggested they change the age to 50. In actuality, the average life expectancy of a man in America is 76.4 years so the correct age for a midlife crisis is 38.2.

Breaking Bad factsShutterstock

Advertisement

11. It’s Morphin’ Time

Bryan Cranston won three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Dramatic series for his role in Breaking Bad but fans of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers might remember him as the voice of Twin Man, a singular monster made of reflective mirrors. It makes perfect sense that, after this, Cranston turned to a life of drugs.

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

10. Will the Real Blue Ranger Please Stand Up

Incidentally, the real name of the Blue Power Ranger is Billy Cranston. No relation.

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

9. Educational Television

When Walt used live electrical wires to burn through plastic restraints that had kept him attached to a radiator, he didn’t realize that he was also teaching Australian convicts an alternative methodology for lighting cigarettes. This resulted in the breakage of 425 television sets across a number of Queensland prisons.

Breaking Bad factsShutterstock

Advertisement

8. Two Ships in the Night

Throughout the entire series, Jesse and Walt Jr. are the only two regular characters who never meet each other.

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

7. It’s Not His Fault

Due to his slight resemblance to Matt Damon, Jesse Plemons (who played Todd Alquist) was referred to by the nickname “Meth Damon."

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

6. Pick Your Poison

Laura Fraser, who played the squeamish drug-runner Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, also played Jessica Brody, wife of suspected terrorist Nicholas Brody, in the original pilot for Homeland. When she was replaced by Morena Baccarin, she moved on to Breaking Bad.

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

5. Bad Investment

Billionaire investor and self-confessed Breaking Bad fan Warren Buffet said that Walter was a “good businessman” and went on to say that the kingpin “would be my guy if I ever have to go toe-to-toe with anyone.” Of course, one assumes that an actual “good businessman” wouldn’t have to murder two dozen men, poison a small child, or get shot.

Breaking Bad factsFlickr

Advertisement

4. It’s Elementary

The series ran for 62 episodes. Samarium is the 62nd element on the period table. An isotope of samarium can be to treat various forms of cancer. Including lung cancer. Coincidence? Probably.

Breaking Bad factsWikipedia

Advertisement

3. Cashing In

Originally set to shoot in California, Breaking Bad moved to New Mexico much to the delight of local businesses which have taken advantage of the show’s popularity with such products as locally brewed Heisenberg “dark” beer and Heisenberg Pez dispensers.

Breaking Bad factsPexels

Advertisement

2. Redacted

Because the DEA didn’t want Breaking Bad to become a step-by-step guide to cooking drugs, they advised Gilligan and his team of writers on what science to include and what to leave out. “If you simply followed the one synthesis as it’s presented,” says science advisor Donna Nelson, “you wouldn’t come out with methamphetamine.” Aspiring cooks who followed the recipe have reported that following the recipe simply doesn’t work.

Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

Advertisement

1. Tiny Tat

When filming of Breaking Bad ended, Cranston got drunk with the crew and, much to the disgust of his wife, wound up with a tattoo of the show’s logo on his finger. At least it wasn’t on his lower back.

Advertisement
Breaking Bad factsGetty Images

 

Sources: 1 2 3 4.

You can share with your friends by clicking below!

Advertisement

More from Factinate

Featured Article

My mom never told me how her best friend died. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery.

Dark Family Secrets

Dark Family Secrets Exposed

Nothing stays hidden forever—and these dark family secrets are proof that when the truth comes out, it can range from devastating to utterly chilling.
April 8, 2020 Samantha Henman

Featured Article

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.

Madame de Pompadour Facts

Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.
December 7, 2018 Kyle Climans

More from Factinate

Featured Article

I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life.

These People Got Genius Revenges

When someone really pushes our buttons, we'd like to think that we'd hold our head high and turn the other cheek, but revenge is so, so sweet.
April 22, 2020 Scott Mazza

Featured Article

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but few people know her even darker history.

Catherine of Aragon Facts

Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s First Wife

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but very few people know her even darker history.
June 7, 2018 Christine Tran



Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.