As everyone waited with bated breath until the end of the star-studded 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, "Breaking Bad" was announced the winner of the best drama series, beating "Homeland" and "House of Cards" among others.
"I did not see this coming," Vince Gilligan, writer of Breaking Bad said while accepting the award.
Thanking the cast and crew of the show, Gilligan also went ahead and acknowledged other series that were nominated in the category, even the ones that hadn't made it into the potentials list.
"It could have been any of them and even some others that were not nominated in this golden age of television we feel so proud to be a part of," Gilligan noted.
"Breaking Bad" got its due after four years of being nominated for the award. However, it failed to bag the Emmy for outstanding actor in a lead role this time. While Bryan Cranston (Walter White) was expected to win the award after taking it for three consecutive years, the crowd was surprised to have Jeff Daniels of HBO's 'Newsroom' swoop it off.
However, Breaking Bad picked up another Emmy for the Best Supporting Actress. Ann Gunn, who plays Skyler White, took the statuette away for her outstanding performance.
Check out the complete list of winners, here.
The New York Times notes that the grand Emmy win comes as 'free advertisement' for the series' season finale, which airs this week. Currently, in its fifth season, the show has been awarded the highest-rated TV serial of all time by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Breaking Bad, the intense drug thriller drama series was the underdog until its second season. However, as one season succeeded another, the show came to be known as one of the best TV shows ever.
The story revolves around Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with lung cancer in the first season. To support his family and secure their future, White starts manufacturing and selling methamphetamine along with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
For Gilligan, who also co-created X-Files, the whole idea behind the series was to turn the 'protagonist into the antagonist'. He foresaw that the hook was to popularize the villain. The bad men have always been widely favoured, for example, The Joker (of Batman).
As Gary Edgerton, the dean of Butler College of Communication, Indiana, a great fan of Breaking Bad said, the series gets better with every season.
"What I would say about Breaking Bad is I don't think I've seen a show that continues to get better each season. The first season was really good, but I don't think anyone was talking about it at that time as being among the best shows ever on TV. Then the second season, it took a qualitative leap forward. And by the third season, people were saying it was as good as anything that's ever been on TV. Some people think the fourth season was the best so far," Edgerton said to the University's own herald, The Newsroom.
Fans of Breaking Bad must be overjoyed. While the season has been touted as the last instalment of the series, will it be renewed for a sixth season? Considering the Emmy win and the strong public demand, maybe yes!
However, it completely depends on the finale.
