Walter White may be one of the greatest TV characters of all time, but the man who created him, Vince Gilligan, is worried there are way too many fictional baddies on our screens.
"For decades, we've made the villains too sexy," Gilligan said in an acceptance speech at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, according to USA Today. Gilligan, who received the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for achievement in television writing, is most famous for creating Breaking Bad. He also worked on The X-Files before striking gold with the story of White (Bryan Cranston) a mild-mannered school teacher who, eventually, becomes, a meth dealer.
After Breaking Bad, Gilligan also created the lauded prequel show, Better Call Saul, which, arguably, had a less aspirational anti-hero at its core, Bob Odenkirk's crooked lawyer, Jimmy McGill.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Writers Guild of America West
"When we create characters as indelible as Michael Corleone or Hannibal Lecter or Darth Vader or Tony Soprano, viewers everywhere pay attention. They say, 'Man, those dudes are badass! I want to be that cool.'" Gilligan warned. "When that happens, fictional bad guys stop being the cautionary tales that they were intended to be. God help us, they become aspirational."
Gilligan said that despite his pride in creating Walter White, he hoped that more people in Hollywood would "write more good guys."
His next project is an untitled Apple TV+ sci-fi series (though called Wycaro 339 by some sources). At the same WGA event, Gilligan said that he created the show for Rhea Seehorn of Better Call Saul fame, but emphasized that in this upcoming series, her character is a "good guy."
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Writers Guild of America West
"She’s a bit of a damaged hero, but she’s a hero nonetheless," Gilligan said, as per Deadline. According to Seehorn, the series is "sci-fi but in a more psychological kind of sci-fi way."
What's the new show about, superficially? We'll just have to wait and see.
Considering Gilligan's pre-Breaking Bad work was on the X-Files, another show about sci-fi heroes, it seems like he might be getting back to his roots. And in reteaming with Seehorn for a new genre-bending concept, the greatest Vince Gilligan series might be something we've never even seen yet.
Breaking Bad streams on Netflix.
Related: The Fake Drugs on ‘Breaking Bad’ Were So Good the DEA Got Involved
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