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Breaking Bad adaptations: films & series
Every version of Breaking Bad — the films & series, compared across media.
The Breaking Bad universe centres on survival and moral consequence in the New Mexico criminal world. At its heart is Walter White — a chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer who, filled with fearlessness, turns to manufacturing drugs to secure his family's finances. These three screen works expand that world across timelines and perspectives: the original series, a prequel following the small-time lawyer who would become Saul Goodman, and a film in which Jesse Pinkman tries to forge a future after escaping captivity.
Breaking Bad films
Breaking Bad series
Frequently asked
Is Breaking Bad based on a book?
No source novel appears in any of these works — Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie are all original screen stories set in the same New Mexico criminal world.
How many screen versions of Breaking Bad are there?
There are three: the original series Breaking Bad (2008), the prequel series Better Call Saul (2015), and the feature film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019).
Which should I watch first?
Breaking Bad (2008) is the starting point — it introduces Walter White and the New Mexico world all three works share. Better Call Saul is set six years before that story, so it works well once you know the original, and El Camino picks up Jesse Pinkman's story after the series ends.