The alternate ending for Breaking Bad with a Malcolm in the Middle twist, explained

Prior to starring in Breaking Bad and getting to be known as the serious character actor he is, Bryan Cranston was very well known for his comedic work. His most famous role is playing the lovable and goofy dad Hal in Malcolm in the Middle; many fans grew up watching him get up to some silly shenanigans on a weekly basis. It pretty much became his most well-known role.

However, when Breaking Bad came onto the scene, it did prove that Cranston has more than a comedic bone in him, but fans still had a soft spot for Hal. His time on the AMC crime drama also made fans create a meta joke that it is secretly a prequel to Malcolm in the Middle, and that show featured Walter White living in the witness protection program after committing the crimes he did in the series.

While those dreams didn't exactly come true, Cranston and the team behind Breaking Bad did create an alternative ending to their series that did bring the Malcolm in the Middle connections to life.

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Breaking Bad's home media featured a major Malcolm in the Middle surprise

While the show ended on the episode known as Felina, the DVD box set for the final season of the Vince Gilligan-created series featured a major surprise for fans. It created an alternative ending that isn't canon to the series and is pretty much played off as a joke, and it features Hal waking up from a dream where he pretty much lived the show's events as Walter White.

Panicking after waking up from his nightmare, he wakes up his wife Lois (with Jane Kaczmarek returning to portray her) and starts telling her about his dream in a hilarious fashion. He talks about how he got cancer and turned to a life of crime selling drugs while also describing who Hank and the various villains in the show are. Not only that, but he does a hilarious impression of Jessie in the scene as well.

This leads to Lois having a hilarious reaction to him as she tells him that there is no way Hal could kill anyone and that he is still responsible for taking the kids to school in the morning. She then tells him that she knew something like this would happen when Hal started growing his beard.

As the couple switches off the lights and goes to sleep, the camera pans over to a chair to reveal Walter White's iconic hat lying on it. While it's not exactly canon to the show, it certainly gives fans of Malcolm in the Middle and Bryan Cranston a neat surprise that does connect the two shows together in a hilarious way.

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How did Breaking Bad actually end?

However, the actual ending of Breaking Bad is quite tragic in its own regard. After Walter White becomes a wanted fugitive and his cancer returns as well, he finally decides to confront the neo-N*zis who screwed him over and took Jesse into their custody. This leads to Walt attaching a gun mechanic to his car and shooting up the place and freeing Jesse in the process as well.

The two characters share one final moment with each other as Jesse escapes from the compound while Walt dies by bleeding out as a bullet did get him during the shootout. The series ends with Walter's body lying on the ground as the police swarm the area.

Fans can check out Breaking Bad as it is streaming on Netflix, while Malcolm in the Middle is available to watch on Disney+.