FX: Why we rejected 'Breaking Bad'

AMC’s Breaking Bad could have wound up at another cable network, but FX p a$sed on Vince Gilligan’s pilot script.

Back in 2007-ish, FX was seemingly the ideal home for the project, given its slew of dark, edgy antihero dramas, like The Shield, Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck. In an interview with Kim Masters on KCRW’s The Business, FX president John Landgraf explained why he turned down the show, which would later become a critical and commercial hit for AMC.

“We had three dramas with male antiheroes and we looked at that script and said, ‘Okay, so here’s a fourth male antihero,’” Landgraf recalled. “The question was: ‘Are we defining FX as the male antihero network and is that a big enough tent?’”

In other words, Breaking Bad was too on brand for the network.

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Added Landgraf: “Look, it was a wonderful script. If I had known Vince Gilligan was going to be one of the best showrunners in television, and Breaking Bad was going to be literally one of the very best shows in television, I would have picked it up despite the concept. But the truth of the matter is anybody who does what I do for a living, who’s honest, will tell you that you’re making decisions based on too little information all the time, and you make good ones and you make bad ones.”

True. We’re zeroing in on this tidbit because Breaking Bad is set to premiere July 15, but it’s extremely common for networks to reject projects that become hits someplace else. Executives just rarely reveal their decision-making process when that happens, so it’s interesting to hear why Walter White didn’t end up on FX. (I still remember hearing the logline for Breaking Bad and thinking, “Cancer patient selling meth? Sounds depressing.”)

Why FX rejected 'Breaking Bad' | Inside TV | EW.com

i like fx but they lost here [pic]

I dunno I can't imagine The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad being anywhere else besides AMC [pic]

I really dont think either Channel is hurting.....AMC, USA, and FX >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

July 15th cant come any sooner [pic]

They made a mistake. Who doesn't?

FX has gotten a hell of a lot right and overall, I'd say they're still a better network than AMC.

Not that it really matters, I'm extremely thankful for AMC, FX and HBO for delivering quality programming when the majority of others televise absolute bull!!.

July 15 is practically here

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cant wait! !! i still gotta watch the final 2 episodes of season 4 [pic] ill watch them thos weekend im sure

HBO [pic]


both shows on HBO would allow the show to be more graphic and alot darker [pic]

this is odd, I have an old rip of a first season episode of Breaking Bad, actually believe its the series premiere, and it has a FX logo on it. [pic]

Fx probably would have made them water it down because damn near all their shows ran 2-3 years longer than they shouldve

Then we wouldn't have GOT or a few others and if so the budgets would've gotten m a$sively cut.

Wasn't redneck enough,

i cut get int this show for some reason Im on season 3 and idk !!s just boring

Boring? How? [pic]


[pic]

Explain yourself...

You are finally watching a good show [pic] kudos.

Boring? [pic] Every episode I saw of this !! was off the meat!

its his !! wife

U shld weight untl seezin 3 finale, den see wut u tink.

How so? Breaking Bad might not of lasted 2 seasons if they picked it up and it could of ended up costing them more money then it was worth.

Did you not read it? They had The Shield, Nip/Tuck (in it's prime) and Rescue Me (in it's prime) at the time, on paper Breaking Bad was just another gritty show that would of failed.

EVERYONE won by them not picking it up and it not being picked up until it was, at the time those shows were a dime a dozen, gritty shows were a dime a dozen.

Wow. To each his own. But wow. !! is NOT boring. At all.