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Breaking Badis a show that a lot of fans remember fondly, given the impact that it had on TV audiences. One of the few shows that were at the center of the cultural zeitgeist throughout its run, there were a lot of facts that contributed to its status as a pop culture phenomenon.
However, there is one show that had an influence onBreaking Bad, without which it would not have been possible for the show to reach the heights that it did. It is almost common knowledge thatBreaking Badowes a lot to another television phenomenon,The Sopranos. The creator of the show, Vince Gilligan talked about how withoutThe Sopranos,Breaking Badwould have a very tough chance of getting on television.
The Sopranosmade the anti-hero more palatable to the television audience
Speaking withNewsweek,Vince Gilliganrevealed whyThe Sopranoswas a key story forBreaking Bad, especially as a show that was going to be put in front of a wide audience. The creator was quick to point out how much the show owed toThe Sopranos, and how Walter White would have been less palatable without Tony Soprano. He said:
Our show owes a great debt to The Sopranos, like all the other shows that center on a flawed or somewhat antagonistic protagonist. If The Sopranos had not existed, I don’t think Breaking Bad would’ve been a harder sell–I think it would’ve been an absolutely impossible sell. You need someone to trod that path ahead of you.
The SopranosandBreaking Badhave a lot in common, but the idea thatThe Sopranospaved the way forBreaking Badis well founded in the fact that Tony Soprano was one of the few great villains in television history. Apart from serving as a genre predecessor for the show, the show itself also took a lot of inspiration fromThe Sopranosas well.
Breaking Badsometimes takes inspiration directly fromThe Sopranos
Breaking BadandThe Sopranosare both dramas that were at the center of popular culture. WhileThe Sopranosdelivered a new take on the gangster media genre,Breaking Badwas a completely experimental endeavor. However, it took some cues fromThe Sopranoswhen it came to inspiration.
Vince Gilligan: I Created Gus Fring Because 1 Breaking Bad Actor I Was Planning to Make the Main Villain “Became unavailable”
One particular instance is when Walter White has to deal with a cartel, particularly the Juarez Drug Cartel. One of the most senior members of the cartel is called Juan Bolsa. The name of this character is seen as a direct reference toThe Sopranos, given that the name, translated literally into English, translates to John Sack.
Johnny Sack Sacromini is an important member of one of the crime families that feature inThe Sopranos, the Lupertazzi Crime family to be exact. This is just one of the references that end up inBreaking Bad, which is chock-full of references to other shows, of whichThe Sopranosseems to be the most influential and important.
Anuraag Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :1633
Anuraag Chatterjee, Web Content WriterWith a passion for writing fiction and non fiction content, Anuraag is a Media Science graduate with 2 year’s experience with Marketing and Content, with 3 published poetry anthologies. Anuraag holds a Bacherlor’s degree in Arts with a focus on Communication and Media Studies.
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