The first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad premiered on January 20, 2008 and concluded on March 9, 2008.

[2] Special features on the DVD and Blu-ray include two audio commentaries—"Pilot" by creator Vince Gilligan, cast members Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, and RJ Mitte, and editor Lynne Willingham and "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" by Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, and writer George Mastras; "The Making of Breaking Bad"; "Inside Breaking Bad"; AMC Shootout – Interview with Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, and Mark Johnson; deleted scenes; screen tests; and Vince Gilligan's photo gallery.

The site's critics consensus reads: "Though at times it feels forced and its imagery can be gruesome, Breaking Bad is darkly gripping and features a strong sympathetic lead in Bryan Cranston.

[15] Robert Bianco of USA Today extolled the humor in the show, “mostly in Walt's efforts to impose scholarly logic on the business and on his idiot apprentice, a role Paul plays very well.

But even their scenes lean toward the suspenseful, as the duo learns that killing someone, even in self-defense, is ugly, messy work.