In the realm of pinnacle TV shows, ‘Breaking Bad’ stands as an indisputable icon. Vince Gilligan’s acclaimed crime drama occupies a revered spot among the greatest TV series, with every contributor reflecting on their involvement as a pivotal point in their careers.
However, for former Hollywood writer Patty Lin, her involvement wasn’t without complications. In an exclusive excerpt from Lin’s highly anticipated memoir, ‘End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood’, the retired TV writer offers a candid glimpse into her tumultuous tenure in the ‘Breaking Bad’ writers’ room during the show’s inaugural season, which aired in 2008 on AMC. Lin paints a vivid picture of an environment where she was the sole female writer on staff, working under an inexperienced boss prone to procrastination and a lack of guidance that she felt was essential.
Reflecting on her experience, Lin reveals to Yahoo Entertainment in an interview, “My experience with Vince left me feeling very frustrated and, at times, humiliated. I don’t think he intended to make me feel that way, but just because somebody doesn’t intend to hurt you, it doesn’t mean that’s OK.”
Lin’s association with ‘Breaking Bad’ began due to her admiration for Gilligan’s pilot script, which she describes in her book as “twisted and funny.” However, as the series unfolded, it became evident that Gilligan’s talents as a writer didn’t seamlessly translate to the responsibilities of overseeing a cable drama. Tasked with crafting the fifth episode of the debut season, titled “Gray Matter,” Lin reveals that Gilligan provided no guidance on her script and subsequently revised crucial scenes without her knowledge. In ‘End Credits’, she writes, “By not alerting me to the revision, Vince was sending a message that I didn’t matter. He made me look like an idiot in front of everyone.”
Simultaneously, Lin clarifies that Gilligan’s conduct was “never abusive” and acknowledges that her experience might differ from others. She notes, “I’m sure there are people out there with very different experiences, even the other writers from that same season.” Lin, who was released from her role after the freshman year of ‘Breaking Bad’, emphasizes that she can only share her personal journey. “All I can speak to is what I went through and how it affected me and my desire to keep doing this job. At that point, I was already feeling disillusioned and wanted to quit, and that show was kind of my last-ditch effort to see if this could still be satisfying.”
As chronicled in ‘End Credits’, Lin subsequently exited Hollywood after her ‘Breaking Bad’ involvement. Her career spanned a decade from 1998 to 2008, encompassing tumultuous periods on influential shows like ‘Freaks and Geeks’, ‘Friends’, and ‘Desperate Housewives’. The process of writing her memoir, which has garnered attention for its revealing chapter on ‘Friends’, reinforced her conviction that she made the right decision.
“At this point, I can’t see myself wanting to return to screenwriting,” Lin admits. “I’ve learned to never say never, but clearly things have not gotten much better in the industry since I left, so I would not go back expecting it to be any better than what I had already experienced.”
