Breaking Bad has some incredibly iconic details, but one integral part of the show was majorly changed by real life. Although Breaking Bad is famous for feeling cohesive and well-thought-out from beginning to end, one of the show's most key aspects was initially very different. Real-world production issues required a big early Breaking Bad detail to be significantly altered, with this change going on to become one of the show's best strengths.
Author Brett Martin's book Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution... contains shocking revelations about many of the biggest modern TV shows, with a lot of pages dedicated to Breaking Bad in particular. The book divulges everything from the real origins of Breaking Bad to the rules behind the show's story, with Martin's interviews providing a treasure trove of Breaking Bad facts and history. Interestingly, the book also details a piece of Breaking Bad that showrunner Vince Gilligan completely changed.
The Original Breaking Bad Had A Totally Different Setting
Breaking Bad famously took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but that was not always the case. As Brett Martin's book reveals, Vince Gilligan originally envisioned Breaking Bad taking place in Southern California's Inland Empire. Although Inland Empire maintains the dry atmosphere of Albuquerque, its adjacency to coastal California and short distance from Los Angeles would have inevitably made for a very different Breaking Bad setting.
While Gilligan wrote Breaking Bad with Inland Empire in mind, the story was eventually rewritten to set Breaking Bad in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Vince Gilligan made this Breaking Bad change due to New Mexico's tax incentives, which offered cheaper production costs if filmed there. If not for New Mexico's real-life monetary motivation, Breaking Bad could have been an entirely different show.
How Breaking Bad's Actual Setting Defined The Show
This big change was more than just a simple location shift, as Breaking Bad's Albuquerque setting actually came to define the show. The city's vast suburban areas and seemingly endless clusters of cul-de-sacs thematically reflected Walter White's unhappiness with his menial life as well as the midlife crisis that triggered the events of the show. Not only did New Mexico's massive empty deserts reflect Walter White's sense of isolation and atomization, but these locations also majorly played into the story of Breaking Bad - something that would not have worked the same if the show was set in California's Inland Empire.
The location change subsequently affected Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul, which also had to take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On top of that, the Albuquerque setting made Breaking Bad unique, as many audiences had not been exposed to the city in such a context before. There are all kinds of crime stories set in Los Angeles, so the unique location gives Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul a unique voice. In the end, it is a good thing that tax incentives caused Breaking Bad to move production to Albuquerque, New Mexico.