29 Years Before ‘Breaking Bad’, Bryan Cranston Appeared on This Hilarious Dating Show [Video]

Long before he was cooking meth in the New Mexico desert, Bryan Cranston was cooking up punchlines on national TV!

Decades before transforming into Walter White, the Emmy-winning “Breaking Bad” star was just another aspiring actor hustling for his big break.

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

In the late ’70s, that meant taking odd jobs—including working for a dating service called Great Expectations, a moment Kelly Clarkson recently unearthed on her talk show. But before even that? He stepped into the national spotlight as a contestant on “The Dating Game” in 1979.

Bryan Cranston Was Bachelor No. 1 With a Comedic Twist

Collider reported that 23-year-old Cranston appeared on the show as Bachelor Number 1. He was introduced to the audience as an “experimental cook” and a map collector who had won multiple physical fitness awards.

With a sweater casually tied around his neck, he looked like a polished prep—but as soon as he opened his mouth, the future comedic star emerged. “When do you know you’ve been a bachelor for too long?” bachelorette Marilyn Staley asked.

Cranston quipped: “When you find yourself doing your own laundry and the dishes and having to iron your own clothes. It’s time to give it up and get married.”

Bryan Cranston Stole the Show on ‘The Dating Game’ With a Performance Fit for Walter White

Though he didn’t win the date, Cranston clearly stole the spotlight. With an exaggerated exit—fixing his sweater, kissing Staley on the cheek, and standing next to host Jim Lange in mock dismay—he gave viewers a glimpse of the performer he’d become.

(photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Looking back, the performance felt almost scripted: a preview of Cranston’s future blend of humor and vulnerability, from Malcolm in the Middle‘s Hal to Breaking Bad‘s Walter White.

Bryan Cranston’s Odd Jobs Is Now the Internet’s Comic Gold

Cranston’s journey to stardom is full of memorable side gigs. He once loaded trucks with Andy Garcia and, more famously, interviewed singles at “Great Expectations”.

During a 2016 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he reflected on the hilariously awkward job:
He described it as a kind of analog Tinder—”a precursor to online dating”—and laughed about the oddball participants he had to coach on camera.

Though he didn’t win on “The Dating Game,” Cranston did eventually win love in real life. He married actress Robin Dearden in 1989, and they’re parents to actress Taylor Dearden (The Pitt).

(Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Cranston joins a long list of stars who appeared on the show before fame, including Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, John Ritter, and Steve Martin.

The Dating Game Might Be Gone—But That Bryan Cranston Moment Lives On

While “The Dating Game” isn’t currently available to stream, Cranston’s hilarious TV debut lives in pop culture memory—and proves that even the road to Walter White started with a lighthearted game show and a perfect sense of humor.

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