When many discuss and rank the greatest television shows of all time, the same names are regularly repeated, solidifying their justification for such an accolade. Shows like The Sopranos, Lost, and The Simpsons are just a taste of the world-beating titles that are mentioned consistently, but there is one title that is often spoken about more than the rest. Premiering on AMC back in 2008, Breaking Bad instantly blew fans and critics away with its incredible acting and water-tight script, earning 16 Primetime Emmys among 58 nominations and many other prestigious accolades. Across its 5-year run, Breaking Bad consistently produced some of television's best and most well-loved episodes, which all culminated in September 2013 when arguably one of the greatest series finales of all-time hit our screens. So, with it almost an entire decade since those final credits rolled, here is a comprehensive look at the cast and characters that created the show's astronomical legacy and where they are ten years on.
Breaking Bad
TV-MACrimeDramaThriller Release Date January 20, 2008 Cast Bryan Cranston , Aaron Paul , Anna Gunn , Dean Norris , Jonathan Banks , Bob Odenkirk , Betsy Brandt Main Genre Crime Seasons 5 Website http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-badRELATED: Is ‘Breaking Bad’ Based on a True Story?
Bryan Cranston as Walter White
Often heralded as one of the best casting choices of all time, Bryan Cranston's performance as the chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin has already accumulated an enormous legacy, with his performance throughout the show's run acting as the anchor for a captivated audience. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, White decides to take control of his own destiny and discover a side to his personality that would give Sigmund Freud a psychoanalytic field day. Cranston's performance as Walter White led to three Primetime Emmy's for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor, which only then led to subsequent award success, including Tony Awards and Academy Award nominations for more recent roles. Since Breaking Bad, Cranston's already brilliant career exploded into super-stardom, with appearances in the likes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Trumbo, and, most recently, the Wes Anderson film Asteroid City, with Cranston announcing just before its release that he would be retiring from acting. For a more in depth look at Cranston's post-Breaking Bad career, check out Collider's article on the topic.
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
As the perfect yet often flawed partner to Walter White, Jesse Pinkman's character arc across the show's run is just as encapsulating as White's. As a low-achieving academic student, Pinkman's life is turned upside down from word go in Breaking Bad, with his often misjudged empathetic side nicely juxtaposed by White's ruthless nature. Since Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul, like Cranston, has had a wonderful career, with a huge filmography that includes the likes of Need for Speed and Central Intelligence. Most recently, Paul has appeared in the latest season of Black Mirror as Cliff in "Beyond the Sea", a brilliantly tragic season 6 story.
Dean Norris as Hank Schrader
As a caring family man and DEA agent, Hank Schrader finds himself wrapped up often, unfortunately, in the tragic narrative of Breaking Bad. Unbeknownst to Schrader, the investigation he leads into the meth kingpin "Heisenburg" is actually leading him to his brother-in-law Walter White, which is just one of the numerous calamitous events that cause his eventual PTSD. Dean Norris performed the character flawlessly, which came as no surprise to fans who had already appreciated his wonderful breadth of work by the time he appeared in Breaking Bad. Since the show finished, Norris has appeared in the likes of Remember and Superstore, with his terrific talent seemingly always on our screens. Norris is scheduled to star in the André Øvredal-directed sequel to 2019's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, alongside many other upcoming projects.
Anna Gunn as Skyler White
The relationship between Walter White and his wife Skyler is often the backbone of the story in Breaking Bad, with the strained pull on their relationship and its eventual demise arguably mirroring the same arc of Walter White's final years of life. Skyler's sometimes reckless actions always had family at heart, with her honest acceptance of the consequences the ultimate sign of her good nature. Since winning two Primetime Emmy's for her role in the show, Anna Gunn has gone on to appear in the likes of Equity and Sully, with her scheduled to appear alongside the likes of Amy Ryan and Colin Farrell in the upcoming detective series Sugar.
Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman
As a Goodman by name but certainly not by nature, Saul Goodman is a malevolent and manipulative con-artist with his own gain at heart by any means necessary. Despite being dastardly and often cruel, Saul Goodman is one of the more captivating performances in the entire series, so much so that he earned his own spin-off, Better Call Saul, which itself went on to achieve legendary status and is even considered a greater achievement than Breaking Bad by some fans. Bob Odenkirk can't have quite known just how influential taking the role of Saul Goodman would be for his life, with his post-Breaking Bad career still very much centering around the character. As a talented writer and actor, Odenkirk has most recently appeared in the hit show The Bear, demonstrating that he has somewhat of a Midas touch when it comes to television.
Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo "Gus" Fring
Another of Breaking Bad's most well-known and notoriously evil villains, Gus Fring, is the owner of a rival meth empire to Walter White's and acts as the cold and calculated opposite of Walter's often erratic behavior. Giancarlo Esposito's performance is so on point it managed to stand out among the plethora of other world-class performances, with many even suggesting Gus deserved his own Better Call Saul style spin-off. With such a brilliantly evil performance, it is no surprise that Esposito has managed to make a name for himself as a sure-fire villainous hit for casting teams ever since Breaking Bad, with turns as Stan Edgar in The Boys and Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian just two of his most well-known portrayals, with his surprising return to season 3 of The Mandalorian delighting fan. Esposito is set to star in the upcoming TV spin-off of the Guy Ritchie film The Gentlemen, as well as the voice of Baxter Stockman in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Jonathan Banks As Mike Ehrmantraut
Originally only meant to join as a guest star in season 2, Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut was such a hit that he returned in season 3 as a member of the main cast. As a highly intelligent, manipulative assassin, Ehrmantraut brought tension and fear to every scene he entered, with some of Breaking Bad's most unforgettable moments existing in his presence. Jonathan Banks is a legendary actor who always managed to command respect from roles in the action genre, with Breaking Bad his breakthrough into mainstream stardom that pushed him into the sorts of genres he had previously not been known for. For example, Banks is fondly remembered for his role as Buzz Hickey in Community, a character that became somewhat of a cult classic in the show. Jonathan Banks is most recently known for his reprisal of Mike Ehrmantraut in Better Call Saul, with 61 episodes under his talented belt.
Krysten Ritter as Jane Margolis
As the landlord, neighbor, and girlfriend of Jesse Pinkman, Jane Margolis, as a recovering addict, makes for a wonderful juxtaposition to the central narcotics-based themes within the narrative. Margolis is intelligent, loyal, and troubled, with her complex familial background influential to her character. After becoming known for her role in Breaking Bad, Krysten Ritter has had a glittering career, with notable roles as Chloe in Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 and the titular character in the hit show Jessica Jones. Ritter is never far from the public consciousness, with her role as Lucy in the upcoming TV series Orphan Black: Echoes already drawing much attention.
Jesse Plemons as Todd Alquist
As an employee for Walter White, Mike Ehrmantraut, and Jesse Pinkman, Todd Alquist becomes a regular face throughout his only season on the show in season 5, earning Jesse Plemons much admiration from fans for his incredible performance. Since Breaking Bad, Plemons has gone on to appear in some of Hollywood's biggest films, with roles in The Irishman, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, and Jungle Cruise all earning him plenty of praise. His relationship with Martin Scorsese, crafted during The Irishman clearly hasn't wavered, with Plemons now appearing as Tom White in Scorsese's latest project, Killers of the Flower Moon. Plemons has recently joined up with fellow Breaking Bad alum Krysten Ritter, on the latest season of Love and Death.
Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca
A member of the Cartel and the famous Salamanca family, as well as Walter's first enemy, Tuco Salamanca, is a vicious and unpredictable antithesis of our protagonist. Having already had an outstanding career before Breaking Bad with the likes of Alien Resurrection and Training Day, Raymond Cruz has kept that trend going since the show, with him notably reprising his role in the spin-off series, Better Call Saul.
Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader
Marie Schrader is the sister-in-law of Walter White and, as a family-oriented woman, it can sometimes appear as if nothing and no one can get in the way of her love for her family, no matter what it means. Despite being most well-known for her role in Breaking Bad, Besty Brandt has had a great career since the show, much like the rest of its cast, with notable appearances in the likes of Magic Mike, The Valet, and, most recently, as Mia Thomas in the hit Hulu series Saint X.
RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr.
As the seventeen-year-old son of Walter, Walter Jr. is unsure of his identity as we enter Breaking Bad, often choosing to go by other names such as "Flynn." This sense of finding one's identity is critical to Walt Jr's character and is a theme tackled successfully by the show through him. RJ Mitte is still best known for playing Walter Jr. However, he has had successful stints on The Guardians of Justice and Now Apocalypse in recent years. Despite this, nothing quite beats his success on Breaking Bad, emphasized best by his Young Artist Award nomination in 2012.
RELATED: How 'El Camino' Served as a Fitting Epilogue for 'Breaking Bad'
Charles Baker and Matt Jones as Skinny Pete and Badger
Despite appearing in fewer episodes of Breaking Bad than many, Badger made a long-lasting impression on fans of the show as one of Jesse Pinkman's best friends. Jones even reprised his role as Badger in the film El Camino. Since the show, Matt Jones has made a successful career in television, with roles like Douglas in Bob Hearts Abishola and Baxter in Mom earning him plenty of new fans.
Like Badger, Skinny Pete is also one of Jesse's most trusted friends and an employee of the drug trade. Skinny Pete is often known for his funny lines, with many of them still quoted by fans to this day. Since Breaking Bad, Charles Baker has appeared in The Mandalorian and The Blacklist and even reprised his role as Skinny Pete in El Camino to the delight of fans. Baker is also scheduled to appear in the upcoming Kevin Costner Western Horizon: An American Saga.
Emily Rios as Andrea Cantillo
Jesse's second girlfriend is Andrea Cantillo, who, like Jesse's first girlfriend, Jane, is also a recovering addict. Andrea is the single mother of six-year-old Brock and the sister of eleven-year-old Tomás, with the latter facing an unfortunate end early into Cantillo's time on the show. As both a successful actress and model, Emily Rios, is arguably best known for her appearances on the likes of Echo Park LA as Magdalena and The Bridge as Adriana Mendez. Most recently, Rios appeared in one episode of the Max series Made for Love.
Many other extraordinary actors appeared throughout Breaking Bad's 5-year run, and with a myriad of wonderful performances littered throughout the show's history, it is no surprise that so many have consistently gone on to achieve successful ensuing careers, with all of them owing at least some of their success to the part they played in the almost incomparable legacy of Breaking Bad.
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