When Breaking Bad made its debut in 2008, it showed the promise of developing into a stylish and high action drama competing with the more muted Mad Men that debuted a year prior. Many, including myself, didn't really anticipate the degree to which the show would improve and consistently deliver some of the greatest television this side of The Wire. If you don't know the story, it follows Walter White, a underachieving chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. In conjunction with his regret concerning what his life began, Walter turns to cooking and selling methamphetamines to leave money for his family after his death. But of course, with a plan like that, nothing could go right.In this post, I'll be giving some reasons not only why it's the best show, but also why it's not even close:
The acting is the best on television. It speaks to the shows acting powerhouse when four actors from the show are nominated for Emmys in the same year. Other shows do have their share of acting chops, with Jon Hamm and Michael C. Hall deserving all the consistent praise they receive, but Breaking Bad has asked so much of its characters, with many cases asking for changes that made a previously reprehensible character sympathetic and vice versa; all without seeming forced. Aaron Paul's development as Jesse Pinkman should be pointed to as a seemingly one dimensional character developing steadily until essentially becoming a deuteragonist. It's rarely done well without the right acting, and Breaking Bad nails it.
It takes some pretty brave risks. Breaking Bad is never afraid to upset, unsettle, depress and surprise its audience. Like all shows, it is bound to fall back on some cliches, but they never determine anything in Breaking Bad. Instead the show is not afraid to let you hate its character, leading them down darker and darker paths that make it harder for the audience to root for them and instead they watch slack-jawed like a slow car crash. Dexter serves as the antithesis of this type of development. The character Dexter undergoes traumatic and horrifying events but even as a serial killer main character, the writers never venture to make him a dark and hate-able character. Instead they are content to "reset" the character and leave little in terms of development. Walter White, on the other hand, seems to be an experiment in the descent of a character. Without giving too much away, Water does some pretty horrible things in the shows first two seasons and yet he seems like a scared man compared to what he becomes towards the later season. And we all get to see it happen.
It's damn beautiful.
There's not much to say besides look at that video and tell me you didn't feel something in that heart of yours. The show is stylish, sometimes to the point of showing off, but as a lover of everything composition I couldn't care less. Other shows surprise me with their cinematography; I expect it from Breaking Bad and it still amazes me.
It has never disappointed. With the show winding down to its final 8 episodes, many theories and predictions are floating around. It's rare that a show has never made a misstep big enough to derail an episode/season but for a show to be consistent across its entire run would be something to behold. I can't say it's perfect, but with a near flawless first half of its last season, the show is all but putting off its inevitably rock bottom conclusion.
So that's your reasoning. If you can come up with a compelling reason for any other show on TV, I'd love to hear it, I just may not be pleasant about it.
