A viral tweet has drawn focus to the way Breaking Bad has inspired memes on the internet, more than a decade after the show’s end.
Considered one of the greatest TV dramas of all time, the series ran from 2008-2013 and starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a chemistry teacher who learns he is dying from cancer. To secure his family’s future when he is gone, he teams up with local drug dealer Jesse (Aaron Paul) and uses his chemistry expertise to make and sell superior methamphetamine, eventually building a criminal empire under the feared moniker Heisenberg.
The show ran for five seasons, and led to the spin-off Better Call Saul as well as the movie El Camino, which focused on Paul’s character. It won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, erecting statues of Walter and Jesse to honour the fact that the show was set there.
It has also seen the characters become infamous through social media memes. On July 18, the Vids That Go Hard X (formerly Twitter) account remarked: “Breaking Bad fans got PhDs in meme creation”. The post, which gained over 48million views, prompted a slew of replies featuring images of the characters in various situations.
Breaking Bad fans got PhDs in meme creation😭
— vids that go hard (@vidsthatgohard) July 18, 2025
Fans immediately offered many different images and videos. They included a clip where the character Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz) is edited into the final battle of Avengers: Endgame; one featuring series favourites involved in a Mario Kart battle; and a person who has used Walter’s famous “Say My Name” line as a means of unlocking their computer.
— Technosmith (@itechnosmith) July 19, 2025
Breaking Bad in Mario Kart Balloon Battle pic.twitter.com/dcmQuuTU5R
— The Immortal (@TheImmortal007) July 21, 2025
One of the best I’ve come across #BreakingBad pic.twitter.com/R1QZkBVbZ8
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) December 3, 2020
Various other images were shared celebrating the show’s legacy, and illustrating the series’ ongoing popularity.
— Stefan (@StefanGerards_) July 19, 2025
— ReplyMortySOL 💬😈☀️ (@JoaquinMQ7) July 18, 2025
— ध्रुव शर्मा (@the_dhruvsharma) July 19, 2025
The show’s infamy has been a headache, however, for the owners of the house that portrayed Walter’s home in the series, who have regularly had to clear pizzas from their roof due to fans reenacting a famous scene from the show.
Last month, the current owner Joanne Quintana revealed she has resorted to hosing fans who approach her home.
