Metástasis

Metástasis is a Colombian telenovela that adapts the American crime drama *Breaking Bad* into a Spanish-language setting, moving the story from the United States to Colombia. It covers the plot of all five seasons of the original, with changes to its pacing, visual style, and secondary storylines. The series ran from June 8 to September 18, 2014, totaling 62 episodes. It aired on Fox Latin America in countries including Chile, Venezuela, Peru, the United States, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

The plot follows Walter Blanco, a frustrated high school chemistry teacher married to his pregnant wife Cielo Blanco, with a son, Walter Blanco Jr., who has cerebral palsy. Walter also works at a car wash. After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he worries about his family’s future. During a raid by the Anti-Narcotics Police organized by his brother-in-law Henry Navarro, Walter spots a former student, José Miguel Rosas. He contacts José to manufacture and sell methamphetamine, aiming to secure his family’s finances. This draws him into the drug trade, gradually corrupting his straight-laced personality.

The remake was conceived because cable television is uncommon in Latin America. Episodes were shot in an average of two and a half days each, compared to eight days for the American version. Outdoor scenes were filmed in Bogotá, which has a colder, more mountainous landscape than the deserts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since pest exterminators are rare in the region, the main characters pose as demolition experts in the latter half of the fifth season. Saúl Bueno, the equivalent of Saul Goodman, advertises his legal services on a television talk show because legal services cannot be advertised in Colombia. The iconic recreational vehicle used for cooking meth is replaced by a school bus, as RVs are uncommon in Latin America.

The cast includes Diego Trujillo as Walter Blanco, Roberto Urbina as José Miguel Rosas, Sandra Reyes as Cielo Blanco, Julián Arango as Henry Navarro, Luis Eduardo Arango as Saúl Bueno, Diego Garzón as Walter Blanco Jr., Manuel Gómez as Gustavo Cortéz, Frank Ramírez as Héctor Salamanca, Damián Alcázar as Tuco Salamanca, and Edgardo Román as Mario Arboleda.

In Mexico, Televisa’s Channel 5 broadcast the series Monday through Friday at midnight.