If This Vince Gilligan Pilot Had Succeeded, ‘Breaking Bad’ Might Never Have Existed

Breaking Bad is regarded as one of the best series in television; a show that seized the pop-culture zeitgeist and evolved into one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed dramas of its generation. But getting it on the air was a struggle, and that journey was shaped, somewhat surprisingly, by the unexpected failure of a different TV pilot that ultimately cleared the way for creator Vince Gilligan‘s series to move forward.

In 2007, Gilligan and director Frank Spotnitz co-wrote a 2007 pilot for a sci-fi action thriller called A.M.P.E.D. The series would have followed Minneapolis police officials and authorities as they worked to stop an epidemic that caused genetic mutations in its hosts, turning them into savage creatures incapable of rational thought. In the show, the highly contagious virus drove its victims into frenzied, uncontrollable violence, turning them against anyone nearby and putting all of society at risk.