Breaking Bad Was Nearly Canceled After Season 3—Here’s How Netflix Saved Walter White’s Legacy
AMC once considered ending Breaking Bad after season 3—Netflix’s deal changed that forever. Find out how the show dodged cancellation and grew into a hit.
Breaking Bad Was Almost Canceled After Season 3 ( Photo Credit – Netflix )
Advertisement
Netflix played a key role in keeping Breaking Bad alive. What many people don’t know is that the series nearly ended with season 3 . The close call could have erased everything that came after, including Walt’s full descent into Heisenberg, Jesse’s evolution and even spinoffs like Better Call Saul and El Camino.
Breaking Bad’s Low Viewership Nearly Killed the Series
When Breaking Bad began in early 2008, it didn’t exactly dominate in ratings. AMC took a chance on Vince Gilligan’s story about a chemistry teacher turned drug maker, but it was far from a hit out of the gate. Gilligan had a hard time even getting the show made in the first place. The idea of a suburban science teacher turning into a meth kingpin wasn’t exactly what networks were chasing at the time. Even after AMC agreed, problems followed.
The first season got chopped down to seven episodes because of the writers’ strike and ironically, that disruption may have saved the show.
Season 3 Marked a Major Turning Point in Breaking Bad
The tone got darker as the story moved into season 3. Walt had allied himself with Gus Fring and Skyler discovered the meth business. Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantraut emerged as big parts of the show and it was a significant tipping point in more than just tone and character focus.
However, AMC still had doubts. The network told Gilligan around 2010 that season 3 might be the end and Sony, which distributed the show, didn’t wait to see what happened next. They began pitching it to other networks, and FX, which had previously passed on the series, showed sudden interest.
Well! That changed everything. Once AMC realized other networks were ready to grab it, they renewed the show for season 4. Even so, momentum alone wasn’t enough. What really pushed Breaking Bad to the next level was streaming.
According to Screenrant, Sony struck a deal with Netflix following the near-cancellation talk. The first three seasons were added to the platform before season 4 arrived and that move transformed the show’s future. People who had missed it on cable finally had a chance to catch up and many actually did. With the release of season 5, viewership had nearly doubled because Netflix turned the series from a highly praised one to a worldwide phenomenon.
The fifth season might not have come to fruition without that boost. Walter White’s journey wouldn’t have reached its brutal end, Jesse’s final escape wouldn’t have been told, and the world of Better Call Saul might have remained unexplored.
