'Breaking Bad' Bryan Cranston goes unfiltered on show's latest milestone

Bryan Cranston is “exceedingly proud” that Breaking Bad was ranked the No. 1 TV show of the 21st century.

The New York Times placed the AMC series at the top of its list of the 100 best TV shows of the century last month.

Cranston, 70, touched upon it only recently while attending ArtPrize, an annual art competition and cultural festival in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Reflecting on milestone, the actor called the honour not something the cast and crew chose for themselves. “That’s something that’s voted on,” he told People.

“That’s bestowed upon us as the collective who had something to do with that show.”

The Times built its list from votes by 516 television industry professionals, including actors, writers, showrunners and producers. Only shows that premiered on or after Jan. 1, 2000, were eligible. The Wire came in second, followed by Mad Men, Succession and Fleabag.

Breaking Bad ran for five seasons, from January 2008 to September 2013. Cranston played Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who starts making and selling meth with his former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, after a stage-three lung cancer diagnosis. 

The cast also included Anna Gunn, Bob Odenkirk, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte and Jonathan Banks.

The show won 16 Emmys, two Golden Globes, two Peabody Awards and a British Academy Television Award. Cranston won the lead actor Emmy four times, Paul won the supporting actor Emmy three times, and Gunn won the supporting actress Emmy twice.

The story continued with the spin-off Better Call Saul, which ran from 2015 to 2022, and the 2019 film El Camino, starring Paul. All five seasons of Breaking Bad are available to stream.