Breaking Bad but due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike only seven episodes were filmed. It ran from January 20 to March 9, 2008. A struggling high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), is diagnosed with inoperable, advanced lung cancer. On a ride-along with his DEA agent brother-in-law Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), Walter sees a former student of his, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), fleeing the scene of a meth lab. He later contacts Jesse and devises a scheme to become partners in an attempt to combine their skills to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, with Walter cooking the product and
Walter White (Breaking Bad) he has been mortally wounded by bullets from the machine gun. He answers a call from Lydia on Todd's phone and coldly informs her that she is going to die. He exchanges a knowing nod with Jesse, who escapes the compound. Walt takes a moment to admire the lab equipment Jesse had been using, and collapses on the floor from his wound as the police arrive. "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan cast Bryan Cranston for the role of Walter White based on having worked with him in a sixth season episode of the science fiction television series "The X-Files", where