Vince Gilligan originally had a different vision for Breaking Bad, one that nearly overlooked a major element that contributed to the show’s success. While Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul were widely praised for their standout performances, another crucial factor was the location. The intense heat, dry desert landscapes, and vast skies of Albuquerque, New Mexico, became as iconic as any of its characters.
According to series star Bryan Cranston, Gilligan initially planned the series to take place in Riverside County in Southern California. However, the producers forced him to change locations so as to save money on production. The move proved vital to the success of Breaking Bad.
Vince Gilligan Had to Change His Original Plan For Breaking Bad To Save Money
Albuquerque played a crucial character in Vince Gilligan‘s Breaking Bad, but fans would be surprised to know that it was not the creator’s original intention. Gilligan set the story of the series in Riverside, SoCal, before producers said no to that idea. Bryan Cranston shared this interesting piece of background information during an interview with Route Magazine.
Cranston shared that the beautiful city of Albuquerque came into the equation when producers suggested moving the location for tax benefits. Gilligan’s original choice, California, didn’t offer any tax rebates for television productions. Meanwhile, New Mexico offered a 25% rebate, which even included the salaries of workers residing in the state.
It saved a huge amount of money for the producers, and Gilligan, on his part, made the wise decision to move the setting to the most populous city in the state. Cranston shared with Route Magazine how it all played out:
Vince originally wrote Breaking Bad to take place in Riverside County, California, a rural area of Southern California but the studio said look, there’s no rebate in California at that time but why don’t we move the show, we need to shoot it in Albuquerque to save money. 25% of everything that we spent in New Mexico was credited back to the studio, so that’s a considerable — that even includes those salaried workers who reside in New Mexico, — an enormous amount of money.
So it allowed us to spend less money or take that money and put it up on screen so the move was designated, we’re going to New Mexico, so Vince in his wisdom decided not to try to say it was still Riverside California, let’s just say it’s Albuquerque.
Cranston shared that the city of Albuquerque was indeed an important character in the series. He shared that the series received immense support from the Mayor’s office, the film department, and the residents of the city. The show went on to make the city a popular tourist destination in the years that followed.
Bryan Cranston Named His Favorite Spots In Albuquerque
Bryan Cranston shared with Route Magazine that he had a house in the Nob Hill section of Albuquerque. He shared that he used to visit places like Gruet, Standard Diner, and The Grove when he was filming the series. He also shared that The Church Street Cafe is one of his favorite places to get great wine margaritas and great New Mexican food.
Cranston also opened up to the downsides of the ‘Breaking Bad’ tourism in the city. He shared the story where the original owners of Walter White’s house had to experience visitors throwing pizza on their roofs, inspired by a scene in the series. They had to eventually fence off their property to protect it from these extreme actions of fans (via LC Sun News).
Breaking Bad is now available for streaming on AMC+.
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