Vince Gilligan

Writer and producer Vince Gilligan rose to prominence in the television world after penning some of the most memorable episodes of the cult science fiction series "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002; 2016- ). Scripts such as "Small Potatoes," which was later voted one of TV Guide's "100 Best Episodes of All Time," quickly elevated him to executive producer and creative consultant for the series, as well as for its spin-off "The Lone Gunman" (Fox, 2001-02). After "The X-Files" closed up shop, Gilligan found success on his own as the creator of "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008-2013), a gritty drama about a terminally ill science teacher who uses his knowledge of chemistry to set up a meth lab in order to support his family. The show netted overwhelmingly positive response from audiences, as well as a 2008 Emmy for Gilligan's direction of the pilot episode. His work on the series, as well as the script for Will Smith's superhero comedy "Hancock" (2008), indicated that the scriptwriter-turned-showrunner had finally arrived, independent of the considerable shadow cast by the phenomenon that was "The X-Files."