Behind every smart TV show, there is a tireless script coordinator, technical adviser, researcher or producer who makes sure the jargon is right, the science is accurate and the pop culture references are on-point. To get a better sense of who keeps the angry nerds at bay, Wired checks in with fact-checkers behind TV’s geekiest shows.

If there’s one thing constantly running through the heads of nerds watching Breaking Bad, it’s that Walter White might be the most badass chemist of all time.

Most of the badass part comes from the skills of Bryan Cranston, who plays the chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-cooker, but the chemist part comes from the diligent work of researchers Gordon Smith and Jenn Carroll, who make sure every molecular formula that comes out of the character’s mouth is perfect.

“Since we’ve done much of the legwork before the writing, it’s usually pretty accurate by that point,” Smith said in an e-mail to Wired. “It’s less a fact-check than it is a conversation that avoids factual errors by building from the ground up.”

Check out Underwire for the breakdown of Breaking Bad’s dark chemistry.

[Illustration: Simon Lutrin/Wired]

(Source: Wired)