Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on the network AMC for five seasons, from January 20, 2008, to September 29, 2013. The show's main character is Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine, in order to secure his family's financial future before he dies, teaming with his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). The show, created and produced by Vince Gilligan, was set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico.