Breaking Bad is easily the most popular TV show to be filmed here in Albuquerque. For five seasons, we watched all-American dad Walter White transition from mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher to ruthless drug lord. Here are five tidbits of knowledge you didn’t know about this iconic series.

Anyone? Bueller?

You can’t blame Breaking Bad’s home network of AMC for wanting a popular actor to play the lead in their new show. And while many of us already knew Bryan Cranston from his Malcolm in the Middle days, they wanted a more popular star. Two names at the top of the list were John Cusack and Matthew Broderick. The execs over at AMC were definitely John Hughes fans.

It Does Not Contain Actual Meth

While blue-colored meth is a thing, there was none used on set. Instead, the crew used blue rock candy. A much safer alternative, in our opinion.

Walter White Is a Real-Life Meth Dealer. Seriously.

In one of those cases of life imitating art, a 57-year-old man named Walter White has been in and out of prison in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2008, for probation violations related to – you guessed it – the manufacturing and sale of meth. We can’t make this stuff up.

There’s a Columbian Remake

There are remakes and then there are shot-for-shot remakes. Metástasis, the Columbian version of Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter Blanco, a high school chemistry teacher who hooks up with his former student José to cook crystal meth after being diagnosed with cancer. Check out the trailer. It’s like watching the exact same show, just with different actors.

For more fun-filled articles on a variety of subjects, be sure to check out our other Olympus Northpoint blog posts.