Picture: Sony Pictures Television
Breaking Bad is almost synonymous with Netflix despite actually airing on AMC in the United States. However, according to new intel, its time on the streaming service globally could eventually end. Here’s what we know.
Starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, the 5 season series (which faced cancelation during its run) told the story of a high school chemistry teacher turning to cook drugs to pay off his medical bills. He eventually becomes part of a drug empire. The main series wrapped up in 2013 (nearly 10 years ago) but its legacy and popularity remain huge.
Vox notably said that Netflix’s showing of the series not only saved the show but made it one of the biggest shows on the planet.
The Breaking Bad universe is continuing beyond the mothership series, with El Camino releasing on Netflix around the globe and the spin-off Better Call Saul concluding its final season as we speak. Netflix internationally receives weekly episodes of Better Call Saul, while Netflix US will have to wait a little longer.
Breaking Bad is currently set to be removed in February 2025
A new joint investigation by The Wrap and What’s on Netflix can reveal some preliminary expiry dates for some of Netflix’s most popular licensed titles (for which Breaking Bad is one). The titles listed with their potential expiry dates included New Girl, Gilmore Girls, The Good Place, Supernatural, and Shameless.
As The Wrap notes, the removal of Breaking Bad would be a blow to Netflix, saying:
“The company will miss that halo effect across multiple titles should “Breaking Bad,” considered one of the greatest scripted dramas of all time, departs the service.”
Now it’s important to stress that this expiry date is just that. A date of possible expiration which means that it will almost certainly depend on whether an agreement can come in place to renew it.
We also should note that either Netflix or Sony Pictures Television responded to The Wrap’s request for comments.
With that said, our intel suggests that Netflix is set to lose all five seasons of Breaking Bad as soon as February 10th, 2025. According to our research, this date applies to both the United States and all other international regions.
Will other Breaking Bad shows/movies leave Netflix?
El Camino could also depart Netflix, according to our research. It’s currently thought that Netflix licensed the El Camino movie for 10 years (a common time period), which means that it’ll remain available until April 18th, 2029.
Better Call Saul is still ongoing so it’s hard to say when it’ll expire, although some regions are expected to lose the spin-off in 2027, at least going by current data.
Once again, expiry dates just mean that’s when the show is due to be renegotiated. Sony Television notably doesn’t have its own streaming service to stack with its own content and Sony still has a strong relationship with Netflix.
So ultimately, it’ll come down to how much Netflix needs to continue paying to either stream Breaking Bad and its sibling shows license fee or see it sold elsewhere.
Will you miss Breaking Bad if and when it leaves Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
