Breaking Bad
Work in TV Reviews
Breaking Bad has come up in 2 episodes across 2 podcasts in TMT, including The Daily, Friends Keep Secrets. 5 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Bryan CranstonActor who played Walter White in Breaking Bad
Cranston said he liked the unfamiliar Breaking Bad theme because unsettling the audience suited the show.
“anytime that you place an audience in a little, they're on their heels, it's better, especially for that show”
Friends Keep Secrets: The Breaking Bad Episode (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:07:32
Cranston described Vince Gilligan as agonizing over his directing choices.
“he would literally take his forefinger and his middle finger and touch his forehead and like, what else? What else?”
Friends Keep Secrets: The Breaking Bad Episode (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:12
Cranston said there was no improvisation on Breaking Bad because the writing was too good to alter.
“it was such a beautifully written story that you don't want to touch it”
Friends Keep Secrets: The Breaking Bad Episode (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 58:58
Aaron PaulAmerican actor who played Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad
Paul said the original plan was for Jesse Pinkman to die near the end of season one, prompting Walt's revenge arc.
“the episode before the finale Pinkman dies and then Walt is then led to go out for revenge into the second season”
Friends Keep Secrets: The Breaking Bad Episode (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 34:23
Paul said Breaking Bad drew only around 700,000 to 800,000 viewers in its first season despite critical acclaim.
“we were only getting, I think, 700 or 800,000 at the most in the season one”
Friends Keep Secrets: The Breaking Bad Episode (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 9:52
James PoniewozikChief television critic at The New York Times
Poniewozik suggests that whether Walter White seems corrupted or innately bad may depend on whether viewers watched weekly or binged.
“I honestly think that the way you see that... might well depend on, you know, how you watched the show”
The Daily: The Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 44:07
Natalie KitroeffNew York Times journalist and host of The Daily
Kitroeff recounts that binge-watching the final season of Breaking Bad was intense and not enjoyable.
“I had to binge basically all of the last season of Breaking Bad. And can I just say, it's not an enjoyable experience”
The Daily: The Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 42:51
Dave BurdAmerican rapper and comedian known as Lil Dicky, creator of the TV series Dave, co-host of Friends Keep Secrets
Burd praised Gus Fring's death as the best-executed character death in the show.
“Great use of a death, in my opinion, is the way Gus went out”
Friends Keep Secrets: The Breaking Bad Episode (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 37:00
Coverage over time
Podcasts
- The Daily · 1 episode
- Friends Keep Secrets · 1 episode
Episodes
The Best TV Shows of the 21st CenturyThe Daily · Sep 27, 2026 · 57 min
Natalie Kitroeff talks with Times colleagues Gilbert Cruz and James Poniewozik about the New York Times list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.
The Breaking Bad EpisodeFriends Keep Secrets · Jun 23, 2026 · 1 h 13 min
Benny Blanco, Dave Burd and Kristin Batalucco host Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul to discuss Breaking Bad, their friendship, Dos Hombres mezcal, marriage and acting craft.