Vince Gilligan has created some incredibly successful shows over the years, with Breaking Bad being his magnum opus, but he also co-created Battle Creek, an underrated police dramedy that has essentially been forgotten. Breaking Bad is one of the best TV shows of all time, so anything that involves Gilligan is intriguing right off the bat.
With Better Call Saul over and the Breaking Bad universe seemingly laid to rest, Gilligan turns his attention to Pluribus, his new series for Apple TV+. As excitement for Pluribus builds, it’s worth looking back on Battle Creek‘s unfortunate fate, as it was released and canceled, all within two years after Breaking Bad ended its landmark run.
Battle Creek Was A Short-Lived Police Comedy From Vince Gilligan And David Shore
It Was Based On A Script Gilligan Had Written Over A Decade Prior
Running for only one season in 2015, Battle Creek was a police dramedy series that focused on the mismatched partnership of Josh Duhamel’s Special Agent Milton “Milt” Chamberlain and Dean Winters’ Detective Russell “Russ” Agnew. The series was co-created by David Shore (House) and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), a formidable duo that resulted in Battle Creek being relatively well-received.
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Battle Creek was actually based on a script that Gilligan had written back in 2003, just a year after working as a writer and director on The X-Files. Despite being a co-creator, Gilligan had less involvement in Battle Creek overall, though, with Shore taking on the majority of production.
Why Battle Creek Wasn’t As Successful As It Should Have Been
It Was Canceled While The First Season Was Still Airing
Coming off of Breaking Bad and initially releasing around the same time as Better Call Saul started its run, Vince Gilligan’s name alone should have helped make Battle Creek more successful than it actually was. The pairing of Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters was a great decision, with their chemistry being the major highlight of the season.
While the show was still airing, CBS actually made the decision not to move forward with the series after its first season, resulting in Battle Creek ending after just 13 episodes, making it a missed opportunity all around. Despite the talent involved, especially with Shore and Gilligan, the viewership wasn’t strong enough (per Variety) to continue the series.
Battle Creek Should Have Definitely Gotten More Seasons
The Series Had Plenty Left To Explore
Whenever a show is prematurely canceled, there is always the possibility that the story it was telling won’t ever be resolved. While Battle Creek doesn’t necessarily end on a massive cliffhanger that is ruined thanks to its early cancellation, there were enough dangling plot threads left to have the series continue into a second season, and beyond.
By the time Battle Creek was cancelled, the Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul, was underway, which would find much more success during its six-season run than Battle Creek.
Unfortunately for Vince Gilligan and David Shore, along with fans of the show, Battle Creek never had the chance to grow past its initial middling viewership. It’s especially heartbreaking for Dean Winters and Josh Duhamel, whose performances should have been able to carry multiple seasons of Battle Creek, as they gave some of the best of their careers.
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Battle Creek
- Release Date
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2015 – 2015-00-00
- Directors
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Andrew Bernstein, Allison Liddi-Brown, Bryan Singer, Colin Bucksey, Craig Zisk, Daniel Attias, Daniel Sackheim, Eriq La Salle, James Roday Rodriguez, Oz Scott, Randall Zisk
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Josh Duhamel
Special Agent Milton Chamberlain
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Breaking Bad
10/10
- Release Date
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2008 – 2013-00-00
- Showrunner
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Vince Gilligan
