LPT Vince Gilligan said he never would’ve made Breaking Bad if he knew the TV show Weeds existed. Don’t dismiss your ideas/projects just because someone else has come up with something similar.

Most people haven’t heard of the show Weeds even though it ran for 8 seasons but its synopsis is as follows:

‘After the death of her husband, Nancy Botwin sees a lucrative business in dealing marijuana to local clients. But the money comes with its own set of problems.’

I don’t even need to post a synopsis of Breaking Bad because almost everyone who’s ever watched a TV show knows the general premise even if they haven’t seen it themselves. BB has well and truly surpassed Weeds and no one today would accuse it of being a rip off.

Just imagine an alternate universe where VG heard about Weeds and decided to drop his idea for Breaking Bad, arguably and according to IMDb ratings: the greatest drama ever made, just because its premise was similar to another show.

So write that story, do that standup bit, make that piece of art.

Don’t rob the world of your ‘Breaking Bad’ just because ‘Weeds’ exists.