But it appears the popular show is more realistic than producers may have imagined, as a former Canadian chemistry professor and his family appeared in court last month in Canada after being accused of running a Breaking Bad-style drug lab.
Daniel Cozak, 66, and his son Charles, 26, were arrested at their secret laboratory on the shores of Lake Baker, along the Quebec-New Brunswick border. Although the lab didn't specialise in the production of meth itself, the drug lab is said to have been capable of producing 1.5m tablets of ecstasy every week.
Similarly to Walter White, the protagonist of the popular TV series Breaking Bad, Cozak had a somewhat respectable reputation, but went off track and created what police described as a “highly sophisticated” drugs factory in a small home.
Cozak had in fact been a member of the National Research Council of Canada and a former professor at the University of Laval. Another of Cozak's sons, 24, was arrested in Quebec along with Cozak's wife, 55, who was released after questioning.
Detective Roger Ferland gave evidence in court that police had surveyed the premises with a video camera. In addition, Quebec provincial police took documents and equipment related to the production of substances, a large amount of the drug ecstasy, chemical substances used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs and weapons from the house.
This isn't the only case to have drawn similar comparisions to the TV series, a Portland (USA) chemistry teacher has been arrested and charged with making methamphetamine.
Alexander Rudine, 38, a community college instructor pursuing a doctorate in chemistry at Portland State University, pleaded not guilty to felony charges in October 2014, that he possessed, delivered and manufactured methamphetamine near a school, according to court documents.