Breaking Bad season 1
First season of the AMC drama series Breaking Bad.
The debut season of *Breaking Bad* aired on AMC in the United States on Sundays at 10:00 pm, running from January 20, 2008, to March 9, 2008. It contains seven episodes, each roughly 48 minutes long, except the pilot, which runs about 58 minutes. Originally planned as nine episodes, the season was cut short by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The complete season arrived on Region 1 DVD on February 24, 2009, and on Region A Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.
The main cast includes Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a high-school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who, after a stage 3 lung cancer diagnosis and a prognosis of two years to live, partners with a former student to cook crystal meth to provide for his family. Anna Gunn plays Skyler White, Walt’s pregnant wife and a struggling creative writer. Aaron Paul is Jesse Pinkman, a small-time drug dealer and Walt’s former student who becomes his business partner. Dean Norris portrays Hank Schrader, Walt and Skyler’s brother-in-law and a DEA agent. Betsy Brandt plays Marie Schrader, Skyler’s sister and Hank’s wife, a radiologic technologist. RJ Mitte appears as Walter White Jr., Walt and Skyler’s son, who has cerebral palsy.
Recurring roles include Steven Michael Quezada as Steven Gomez, Hank’s DEA partner; Carmen Serano as Principal Carmen Molina of J.P. Wynne High School; Max Arciniega as Krazy-8 Molina, an associate of Jesse’s; Charles Baker as Skinny Pete, one of Jesse’s friends; Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca, a cartel-connected drug kingpin; and Jessica Hecht as Gretchen Schwartz, Walt’s former fiancée and business partner. Guest stars include Tess Harper as Jesse’s mother, Matt L. Jones as Brandon “Badger” Mayhew, Rodney Rush as Combo, Marius Stan as Bogdan Wolynetz (owner of A1A Car Wash, where Walt once worked), and John Koyama as Emilio Koyama, another of Jesse’s associates caught in a DEA drug bust.
The original score was composed by Dave Porter, with music supervision by Thomas Golubić. Select songs from the season appear on the *Breaking Bad* Soundtrack, available via iTunes and Amazon.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an 86% approval rating from 43 reviews, with an average score of 8.3/10. The critics’ consensus calls it “darkly gripping” with a “strong sympathetic lead,” though noting it can feel forced and gruesome.
Quick Facts
- Season Number
- 1
- Starring
- Bryan Cranston / Anna Gunn / Aaron Paul / Dean Norris / Betsy Brandt / RJ Mitte
- Network
- AMC
- First Aired
- 2008-01-20
- Last Aired
- 2008-03-09
- Num Episodes
- 7
- Episode List
- List of Breaking Bad episodes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The first season of Breaking Bad originally was planned to have nine episodes, but was reduced to seven due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The season aired on Sundays at 10:00 pm on AMC. The complete first season was released on DVD in Region 1 on February 24, 2009, and on Blu-ray in Region A on March 16, 2010.
The main cast includes Bryan Cranston as Walter White, Anna Gunn as Skyler White, Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, Dean Norris as Hank Schrader, Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader, and RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr. Recurring and guest actors include Steven Michael Quezada, Carmen Serano, Max Arciniega, Charles Baker, Raymond Cruz, Jessica Hecht, Tess Harper, Matt L. Jones, Rodney Rush, Marius Stan, and John Koyama.
The season's original score was composed by Dave Porter, with music supervision by Thomas Golubić. Select songs from the season are featured on the Breaking Bad Soundtrack available through iTunes and Amazon.
Reader's Guide
Breaking Bad season 1 established the series' critical and popular foundation. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 86% approval rating based on 43 reviews, with the critics consensus noting it is 'darkly gripping' with a strong lead performance. Metacritic gave it a score of 73 out of 100. The season received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with Bryan Cranston winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lynne Willingham winning Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series. Vince Gilligan was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the pilot, and John Toll was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series. Cranston also won a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The season was nominated for Outstanding New Program of the Year at the Television Critics Association Awards and received three Writers Guild of America Award nominations, with Vince Gilligan winning for Best Episodic Drama for the pilot. The season's home media releases include special features such as audio commentaries, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, screen tests, and a photo gallery.
Did You Know?
- The first season was originally going to consist of nine episodes but was reduced to seven by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
- The pilot episode runs approximately 58 minutes, while other episodes run approximately 48 minutes.
- Bryan Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the first season.
- The first season was released on Region 1 DVD on February 24, 2009, and Region A Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.
More in Characters & Personas
Elsewhere in Breaking Bad
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced