AMC will be bringing Breaking Bad back for a 16 episode fifth and final season. The final episodes will be shot in early 2012, however, AMC President Charlie Collier says the premiere date has not been set.
“From the day we heard Vince Gilligan’s completely original vision for Breaking Bad, it has been a complete joy to be involved with this show. Watching this story evolve into the complex, compelling, and intense roller coaster ride that it has become has been an incredible creative experience for everyone at AMC. Beyond that, working with Vince, his brilliant cast and crew, and our wonderful partners at Sony has been remarkable in every way. While it is sad to even contemplate the end of this series, we are so happy to have had the chance to go on this ride, and truly look forward to presenting the rest of this amazing story,” said Collier.
“It’s a funny irony — I’d hate to know the date of my own last day on earth, but I’m delighted to know what Walter White’s will be (episodically speaking). This is a great gift to me and to my wonderful writers. It’s knowledge which will allow us to properly build our story to a satisfying conclusion. Now, if we don’t manage to pull that off, we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves,” said Vince Gilligan. “Breaking Bad has been a dream job these past four years. Working with the best cast and crew in television has no doubt spoiled me for future projects. I’m lucky to get to work with them on sixteen more episodes, and I will always be grateful to both AMC and Sony Television, who from the beginning, believed in our show and supported me creatively and professionally. We have been able to take risks with Breaking Bad which would not have been possible on other networks.”
Breaking Bad has been nominated for 16 Emmy Awards, winning six since its debut on January 20, 2008.
The series stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White, Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, Anna Gunn as Skyler White, Dean Norris as Hank Schrader, Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader, RJ Mitte as Walter, Jr, Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman, Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring, and Jonathan Banks as Mike.
The Plot:
The series follows protagonist Walter White, a milquetoast high school chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico with his wife, teenage son who has cerebral palsy, and a new baby girl. White is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of two years left to live. With a new sense of fearlessness based on his medical prognosis, and a desire to gain financial security for his family, White chooses to enter a dangerous world of drugs and crime and ascends to power in this world. The series explores how a fatal diagnosis such as White’s releases a typical man from the daily concerns and constraints of normal society and follows his transformation from a mild-mannered family man to a kingpin of the drug trade.
