The producers of Breaking Bad have reportedly started offering the show to other networks following difficult negotiations with AMC. With the fourth season of the drama currently airing on the cable network, producers and fans alike are eager for a fifth year for the show, but talks have supposedly stalled according to the Los Angeles Times. AMC is thought to be keen to keep Breaking Bad but proposed a fifth season comprising of between six and eight episodes for financial reasons.
Unhappy with the decision, the producers of the show have refused to agree to a shortened season and have allegedly since shopped it to three other cable networks. It is thought to be unlikely that Breaking Bad will end up moving, however, because if it does, its new network would likely ask for more than one season. Any such move would contradict creator Vince Gilligan's claim that he expects the show to end after the fifth run.
Breaking Bad is reportedly not the only show on the cable network facing budget issues however, with rumors suggesting that The Walking Dead has had its budget cut also. The negotiation over budget is being touted as one of the reasons Frank Darabont stepped down as showrunner; AMC sources have denied the speculation. Meanwhile, AMC recently faced difficult negotiations with Mad Men's executive producer Matthew Weiner for financial reasons. The talks ended up delaying the fifth season until 2012.
The current season of Breaking Bad continues on Sundays at 10/9c on AMC.