Breaking Bad: 10 Behind The Scenes Facts You Didn't Know
3. Everyone Thought The Title Was Stupid
When pitching Breaking Bad to various networks Vince Gilligan was met with rejection from many including HBO but even when the show found its home on AMC it still faced challenges. One battle that he faced was the show's title itself which many, including some high ranking executives at the network, failed to understand.
Gilligan quickly became fed up explaining the meaning of this Southern phrase, which according to him means "to raise hell", and it only made him more adamant to keep the show's title as season one was nearing its debut. While the phrase does allude to Walter White's transformation from mild mannered teacher to meth kingpin, it does make it sound like it was just one defining moment when Walt 'broke bad' rather than a series of decisions over five seasons.
Although Breaking Bad is a fairly nonsensical title for such a critically acclaimed show, it is possible to see why these executives kept the original title. What else could it be called? 'Cooking with Walt and Jesse'? 'Once Upon A Time in Albuquerque'? 'Keeping Up with the Whites'? While these are all valid titles, except maybe the last one which sounds like a white supremacist reality TV show, maybe sticking with Gilligan's original suggestion was the wisest idea.