# Talking Bad
**Talking Bad** is an American weekly, half-hour live after-show hosted by [Chris Hardwick](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-hardwick) that accompanied the final eight episodes of AMC's drama series *Breaking Bad* in August and September 2013. Each episode aired live on the night of the corresponding *Breaking Bad* broadcast and recapped, analyzed, and discussed that episode with studio guests, fans, actors, and producers.[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Weekly half-hour live after-show and companion piece for *Breaking Bad*[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/) |
| Host | Chris Hardwick, already host of AMC's *Talking Dead*[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/) |
| Run | 8 episodes, August 11 to September 29, 2013, on AMC (US)[2](https://epguides.com/TalkingBad/) |
| Episode titles | Each installment took its title from the *Breaking Bad* episode it followed, from "Blood Money" through "Felina"[2](https://epguides.com/TalkingBad/) |
| Production | Michael Davies' Embassy Row in association with Sony Pictures Television[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/) |
| Position in franchise | AMC's second live after-show, after *Talking Dead* (2011)[3](https://www.amc.com/blogs/talking-dead-announcement--1006202) |
## Announcement and format
AMC announced the show on July 21, 2013, describing it as a way to "pay homage to and countdown the final eight episodes" of *Breaking Bad*. It premiered on Sunday, August 11, 2013 at 11 pm ET/PT, immediately following the 9 pm broadcast of *Breaking Bad*'s final-season premiere and the 10 pm debut of AMC's new drama *Low Winter Sun*, whose early broadcasts carried interstitials promoting the upcoming *Talking Bad* episodes.[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/)
The format followed the template of *Talking Dead*, AMC's live after-show for *The Walking Dead* that had premiered on October 16, 2011. AMC executive Joel Stillerman, the network's EVP of original programming, cited *Talking Dead*'s success, noting that the show had attracted more than five million live viewers after the previous season's *Walking Dead* finale. *Talking Bad* featured Hardwick recapping the most recent episode with fans, actors, producers, and television enthusiasts, and taking questions and comments from viewers; online engagement continued at amc.com with videos, weekly polls, and guest photo galleries.[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/)
**Hardwick's framing.** At the announcement, Hardwick said he would "strive to give *Breaking Bad* the send off it deserves" and joked that his casting owed less to *Talking Dead* than to his "unmistakable resemblance to Jesse Pinkman."[1](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/) In a later interview he said he had almost declined the job because *Breaking Bad* was a "precious" show to fans and he feared the reaction that a misjudged after-show could provoke.[4](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/justin-monroe/chris-hardwick-interview)
## Episodes and guests
Eight episodes aired weekly, each named for the *Breaking Bad* episode discussed that night: "Blood Money," "Buried," "Confessions," "Rabid Dog," "To'hajiilee," "Ozymandias," "Granite State," and "Felina," the series finale, on September 29, 2013.[2](https://epguides.com/TalkingBad/) Guest pairings mixed cast members with celebrity fans: the premiere featured creator [Vince Gilligan](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-gilligan) and actress [Julie Bowen](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-bowen); "Buried" featured [Aaron Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-paul) and Anna Gunn; "Confessions" featured Bob Odenkirk and Samuel L. Jackson; "Ozymandias" featured Dean Norris and Bill Hader; and the finale brought back Gilligan alongside Jimmy Kimmel and many *Breaking Bad* cast members.[5](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/talking-bad/allseasons/official) Short online bonus segments accompanied each episode.[5](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/talking-bad/allseasons/official)
## Reception and criticism
**A celebration, not an analysis.** [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s review of the premiere described the show as AMC's "victory lap" for *Breaking Bad*, a "For Fans Only" endeavor built from small inside tidbits and celebrity fan excitement rather than deep analysis. It noted that the half-hour format left Gilligan less than ten minutes of on-air discussion time, far shorter than a podcast interview he had recorded with Hardwick around the same period, and that Hardwick consciously scaled back the exuberant fan persona he used on *Talking Dead* to suit the prestige drama's tone.[6](https://www.avclub.com/talking-bad-1798177656)
A broader critique of the after-show genre, published in GQ, argued that because shows like *Talking Dead* and *Talking Bad* were produced by the same network and brain trust as the series they covered, they functioned as promotional extensions and rarely said anything critical about the episodes under discussion.[7](https://www.gq.com/story/dont-waste-your-time-with-shows-like-talking-dead)
## Place in the after-show format
*Talking Bad* ran only for the final half-season of *Breaking Bad*, a limited engagement that became a pattern for AMC: the network later used the same limited-run approach for *Talking Saul*, its after-show for *Better Call Saul*, and *Talking Preacher* for *Preacher*, while *Talking Dead* continued as an ongoing series.[8](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv-aftershow-phenomenon-talking-dead-thrones-173055658.html) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) described *Talking Dead* as the first post-episode discussion show in a genre that the Talking franchise and imitators such as HBO's *[After the Thrones](https://www.edgepedia.org/after-the-thrones)* expanded, and quoted Stillerman crediting Hardwick with turning an hour of post-episode discussion into "the #1 talk show on television, and a model that has been widely emulated."[9](https://www.tvguide.com/news/talking-with-chris-hardwick-amc/)
Unlike its longer-running sibling, *Talking Bad* aired its entire run in seven weeks and was not renewed; the episode guide lists its status as canceled/ended after the September 29, 2013 finale broadcast.[2](https://epguides.com/TalkingBad/)
## References
1. [AMC Announces Chris Hardwick as Host Of "Talking Bad" (July 21, 2013), AMC Global Media](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2013/07/21/amc-announces-chris-hardwick-as-host-of-talking-bad/)
2. [Talking Bad: a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/TalkingBad/)
3. [AMC Launches Talking Dead - A Live After-Show Following The Walking Dead, AMC Talk](https://www.amc.com/blogs/talking-dead-announcement--1006202)
4. [Interview: "Talking Dead" and "@midnight" Host Chris Hardwick, Complex](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/justin-monroe/chris-hardwick-interview)
5. [Talking Bad - Aired Order, All Seasons, TheTVDB](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/talking-bad/allseasons/official)
6. [Talking Bad (review), The A.V. Club, August 12, 2013](https://www.avclub.com/talking-bad-1798177656)
7. [Don't Waste Your Time with Shows Like 'Talking Dead', GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/dont-waste-your-time-with-shows-like-talking-dead)
8. [TV's Aftershow Phenomenon: From 'Talking Dead' to 'After the Thrones', Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv-aftershow-phenomenon-talking-dead-thrones-173055658.html)
9. [Chris Hardwick's Talking Dead Franchise Expanding Into Weekly Late Night Series, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/talking-with-chris-hardwick-amc/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Television talk, interview, and variety programs › Late-night talk shows*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license