If you’re planning to watch Breaking Bad, it’s important to understand the chronological order of events. The Breaking Bad universe consists of two shows, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and a movie, El Camino.
Most parts of Better Call Saul highlight events that happened before Breaking Bad, but the last season depicts scenes that come much later. So you can think of it as a prequel and sequel to Breaking Bad. El Camino, which is a Breaking Bad spinoff movie, describes events that occurred right after the Breaking Bad finale.
Here’s a quick overview of the Breaking Bad timeline, created using EdrawMax—a tool you can use to make diagrams for free. If you'd like to add more details to the timeline below, simply edit it before downloading.
In this article
Breaking Bad Timeline
Jimmy meets Nacho Varga and Mike Ehrmantrout while working as a public defender.
Summer - Fall 2002 (Better Call Saul)
Jimmy and Kim decide to form a private practice. Around the same time, Chuck steals Kim’s biggest client, Mesa Verde, whom she wins back thanks to Jimmy’s underhanded tricks.
Winter- Spring 2003 (Better Call Saul)
Jimmy gets his law license suspended and decides to shoot commercials for other businesses under the alias, Saul Goodman.
Late Spring 2003 (Better Call Saul)
Gus engineers a deadly shootout to mark his drug territory.
2004 - 2008
Jesse Pinkman is a student at J.P. Wynne High School, the same institution where Walter White teaches as a Chemistry professor.
January - October 2008
Walter White turns 50 and is diagnosed with Stage 3 terminal lung cancer. Strapped for cash, he decides to think out of the box to make money. That’s when Jesse enters the scene and the two set off on a path to meth production.
November - December 2008
Walter and Jesse make ricin to finish off Tuco, but instead Tuco kidnaps the two and while Walt’s family searches for clues of his whereabouts, Hank finds out Jesse is working with Walt.
December 2008- February 2009
Walt finds out that his cancer has shrunk by 80% and gets his son drunk at his remission party. Meanwhile, Saul sends Mike to clean up Jesse’s place before the cops arrive, and that’s when Jesse breaks down, and Walt takes him to rehab.
February - April 2009
Gus shows Walter the meth lab and Walt finally agees to working with him for three months. By this time, Hank is on Walt and Jesse’s tail, looking for answers.
On the other hand, Skyler teams up with Walter and suggests the duo buy the car wash, which she will run, for money laundering purposes.
April - July 2009
Gus kills Victor, who knows Walt’s meth recipe. However, Gus loses his own life when Hector sets off a bomb that kills them both.
July 2009 - March 2010
Walt and Jesse pull off a methylamine-centric train heist, which ends in the death of a little kid holding a tarantula.
September 2009 - March 2010
Skyler convinces Walk to quit the drug business, but a little too late because Hank finally figures out that Walt is Heisenberg.
July - September 2009
Hank and Jesse lure Walt into the desert, where he hid an insane amount of money. However, the Nazis show up and all hell breaks lose, ending in Hank’s execution.
March - September 2010
Saul Goodman escapes to Omaha, where he is eventually caught. Meanwhile. Walt bids his final goodbye and enters Uncle Nazi’s territory. Walt dies in the chaos that follows while Jesse runs away.
September 2010 (El Camino)
Jesse runs straight into the movie, El Camino’s plot.
How To Make A Timeline Using EdrawMax?
If you want to make a new timeline, you can make it easily on EdrawMax. This powerful diagramming tool offers a large library of templates and symbols, so you can design a visually engaging timeline with minimum effort.
With an intuitive interface and large set of design tools, you can create a custom timeline that fits your needs. Simply download EdrawMax for free, launch the app, and follow the steps below to create a professional-looking timeline in just minutes.
Get 500 free AI tokens
Step 1Insert Background Image
- Click Insert on the top toolbar, then select Picture from the dropdown menu. Choose Local Pictures to upload a background image for your timeline.
- Edit the image’s brightness, contrast, and transparency to turn it into a perfect backdrop for your timeline.
Step 2Add The Title
Click Text from the left editing panel, then select Click to Add Title. Type your timeline’s title into the text box.
Step 3Use Symbols To Add Events
On the left panel, go to Symbols and choose two different shapes to represent events on your timeline. Place the shapes alternately across the timeline and add descriptive text to each one.
Step 4Add Character Images
Just like in step 1, insert a character image between the two shapes by clicking Insert > Picture > Local Pictures. Once the image is added, click it to reveal editing options. Select Crop to Shape and choose a shape to change the image’s outline.
Step 5Draw Connections
Go to the Home tab and select Connector from the toolbar. Select the first option in the list and draw two straight lines to connect each timeline event to the image in the center.
Step 6Export the Diagram
Continue adding events and images until the timeline is complete. When you’re ready to save it, click Export on the top panel and choose Graphics from the options. You can then download the timeline in JPG, PNG, BMP, or TIFF format.
EdrawMax DesktopEdrawMax Online
