Smithsonian adds "Breaking Bad" to collection

Thursday, November 12, 2015 - 23:18 StudyHall.Rocks

Yellow Tyvek suits and gas masks from the TV series "Breaking Bad" were among the props donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Image: Hugh Talman, National Museum of American History.

Most television shows are here today and gone tomorrow, but the good ones are remembered. As proof, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will add props used in the blockbuster series Breaking Bad to its collection.

    The museum announced Nov. 10 that it is getting more than 10 objects from the AMC and Sony Pictures Television series. Breaking Bad, which aired 2008–13, focused on Walter White (Bryan Cranston) a high school chemistry teacher who makes methamphetamine to support his family after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
   “Borrowing conventions from the classic Western genre, the show uses Walt’s moral disintegration to explore the contemporary American dream and illustrate the corrosive effects of power and greed,” a Smithsonian news release said. “It garnered widespread acclaim and numerous awards, including 16 prime-time Emmys and two Golden Globes.”
    Objects donated to the museum include White's hat, clothes worn by the main characters and props such as a bag of blue meth.
    Unfortunately, the items are not on immediate display, according to the museum. An exhibition exploring American culture is in development and scheduled to open in 2018.
     This is not the first time the Smithsonian has featured props and costumes from television series and movies. The museum has items from Mad Men, The Wonder Years, Seinfeld and All in the Family, among other programs. In 2014, the Smithsonian acquired costumes from the X-Men movies.

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