Fan theories are the parmesan cheese atop an already delicious slice of TV pizza: they add another delicious layer to an already-awesome meal. That's why this fan theory that suggests The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, two of the most beloved shows of the last decade, is worth giving some thought — could these shows take place in the very same universe? Upon reviewing this theory, the answer is — err, maybe not. But that doesn't make the alleged connection any less intriguing.
Donna Dickens at HitFlix was the first to post about the theory, which states that Breaking Bad is a prequel to The Walking Dead. Sure, The Walking Dead already has a prequel series — the poorly-titled Fear The Walking Dead — but this theory states that it's Breaking Bad that ultimately reveals what the world was like before the zombie apocalypse began.
Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead sharing a world isn't merely a random thought: there are certain clues that suggest a connection between the two series. A drug very closely resembling Blue Sky makes an appearance in season 2 of The Walking Dead, and a red and black striped Dodge Challenger appears on both series, despite Breaking Bad stating how rare the car was. However, the most specific piece of evidence has to do with Daryl describing his brother's "janky little white guy" drug dealer to Merle. That drug dealer's catchword of choice? "Bitch" — just like Jesse from Breaking Bad.
When you add these clues up, it makes sense to consider that the shows are hinting at a connection. However, the more reasonable explanation here is that these AMC shows were merely including Easter eggs that eagle-eyed fans could pick up on. Pixar movies do this as well: a character from Toy Story may make a brief, blink-or-you'll-miss-it appearance in Finding Nemo, for example. (Of course, these connections have led to blogger Jon Negroni creating an overarching theory about how all the Pixar movies are connected in one universe as well.)
As for me, I'm not buying that Walter White lived in a world prior to the zombie apocalypse. Though it's certainly fun to think about the what if? factor of it all.