I’m about half way through the third season, and while I like it, I haven’t really been motivated to finish the season. They seemed to run out of places to go about half-way through the second season, and have been treading water ever since.
Am encouraged by people saying the third season ends well, though, so in hopes that they find something else to do I’ll finish up the rest of the show.
Since AMC started rebroadcasting all the episodes from the beginning, I’ve been loading up my DVR. Have 22 eps so far, and will still keep accumulating until I have the time for a super-marathon. Have never seen the show before so I really can’t wait…
As great as Deadwood was, the fact that it was cancelled before Milch could end the series properly really diminishes its status in a discussion of “best shows ever.”
The Wire (which I just finished watching) is a great show, and seasons three and four are maybe the best seasons of television ever produced. Overall, though, I think the best television series I’ve seen is Six Feet Under. I can’t believe no one’s mentioned it yet.
I’ve been trying to decide what to watch next, and I think Breaking Bad will be it.
Your argument makes no sense. The information you present does not diminish the show’s quality in any way. Yes, it could have been even better had the final season been produced.
I didn’t say it’s quality was diminished - just that its status, as a series at a while, when compared to other great series, has suffered. A great story needs a great ending.
Wait… you think “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is BETTER than “Breaking Bad”??? I don’t question that perhaps it is a greater personal favorite of yours, but your as-close-to-objective-as-you-can opinion is that it’s actually a superior or even an equivalent artistic accomplishment? Seriously???
As for the rest… I can appreciate the argument for all of them, except, perhaps, The Sopranos. I watched every single episode of that series, and while I enjoyed it, and I think it had some great performances and some great writing, I think it went on too long, meandered too much, and is generally overrated. “The Wire” I take on faith because so many people say so.
As a longtime “Six Feet Under is The Best Show in The History of The World” person myself, I think you should make Breaking Bad your next show. I adore SFU. It’s hard to compare them because they are so different, but I think you will find Breaking Bad extremely satisfying, even if it doesn’t ultimately beat SFU in your heart.
:eek::dubious::eek:
It’s hard to really say if there is just one single greatest. As I just said, I’ve always been a booster for SFU, and I still think that the last episode is the single greatest episode of television ever, just perfection. (Except maybe for some of the makeup). But the elite club, in my mind, includes SFU, Breaking Bad, Deadwood (unsatisfying ending notwithstanding), and I can’t really think of any others that truly deserve top billing, that I think transcended all others in greatness. So far Breaking Bad is “better” only because in three seasons I don’t think it’s really hit a false note yet, whereas “deadwood” did not get to finish properly and broke down a little towards the end, and SFU definitely hit a few rough patches where it wasn’t quite itself. (Plus I just cannot bear Rachel Griffiths in anything ever at all, so she spoils anything she touches. I vcan’t even explain why, but I find her intolerable.)
Funny, that’s exactly how I feel about Breaking Bad. It’s OK, but I get the sense that (a) it doesn’t really know where it’s going at times (and if the writers say otherwise, they’re lying) and (b) it takes its sweet fucking time getting there to boot.
All in all, it’s OK. I don’t find myself thinking about the show afterward, and I do find myself checking my watch more than once during every episode. It’s got some amazing performances, but other than that it’s just OK.
P.S. I’d much rather watch Curb Your Enthusiasm too 
I also agree it’s one of the best for me. The performances are outstanding, the characters, the dialogue, everything seems to be a notch above other TV series. Can’t wait for season 4.
However, I don’t even know what the Wire and Deadwood are, might have to check that out too 
The writers have said that they had both seasons 1 and 2 meticulously mapped out ahead of time, but they allowed season 3 to fly by the seat of its pants. When they were writing the early stuff from season 3 (like the twins), they had no idea what would happen by the end of the season.
If I’m not mistaken, they’ve just started filming season 4 last month, as well.
Oh, indeed.
ETA: Boardwalk Empire has some potential. Will have to wait to see how season 2 pans out. We need to see more of the Chalky White character.
Yeah, Sopranos was for a long time my favourite too. However, the main twist and the whole context was too much pop culture referential; i.e. its potential and dramatic value was derived from Mafia related saturation. It was kind of already there.
Breaking Bad is, to me, much more original and much more anchored into notions of average guy in extraordinary circumstances. And of course, by no means I’m saying that is not an archetype too, it’s just that the execution of it, storytelling wise with all the build up that was necessary to create is just so much more complete and nuanced as it only derives from concept and not from a cultural niche.
Now, this brings me to an interesting juxtaposing of two similar scenes from these two series in which dramatic situation has, at least for me, quite different experience.
In Sopranos, that would be the scene of car crash where, afterwards Tony is putting his hand on severely injured Christopher who is gurgling and fighting for air. In BB, that would be when Walter comes to see Jesse who is drugged with his girlfriend landlady, Jane who turns on her back and starts gurgling. Without going into tedious analysis, I expected Tony to do it sooner or later while Walter’s decision shocked me to the core.
Same here. I’d be interested in your “tedious analysis”.
Walter’s decision to take out Jesse’s GF, is one of self preservation for his family. At that point in the story arc of Breaking Bad, Walter needs Jesse to market the Meth. Also Walter believes that Jesse’s GF is dragging him back into being a user, which will ultimately destroy Jesse. Walter thinks of himself as Jesse’s pseudo parent and will do things to save him…in more profound ways later in the series.
Tony had given Christopher numerous chances. Christopher was, like Jesse, Tony’s figurative son. And everytime Christopher disappoints. Putting the figurative “family” at risk and upon seeing the damage to the car seat in the back seat, putting Christopher’s own children at risk. Christopher is better off dead.
While I will agree that there is some merit to this, my view is that Walter’s relationship with Jesse is not simply parental type; honestly, I don’t see too much of that to fully conclude. I see that relationship thru that phrase Walter told Jesse: We are good people. I see it more as a sanity check, a way for Walter to redeem himself in spite of all the things he has done, Jesse is there to reflect upon, having Jesse around makes Walter stronger and his care for Jesse, while it may sound strange, makes Walter feel human because Jesse is the only one who knows his both sides. I guess…
The Twins were Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men x 2 + style. Fanfuckingtastic.
'zackly.
The whole arc of the second season was beautiful, completely believable, and flawless.
And if anyone questions the likelihood of all the inter-relatedness, don’t: not only is the druggie community small, New Mexico is small, in terms of population. Tiny, the whole damn state is only a couple million people. (My sisters live there; never cared for it all that much but I’ve developed a new affection for it in the wake of my BB obsession.)
That’s exactly what I did. And even then, there are parts that are a bit… ‘iffy’. When a (Black) member of the cast comes up and says that he was unsure of what certain parts of his own dialogue meant, THAT is saying something in and of itself.
Excellent series, though, on the whole.
As for Breaking Bad, I’ve read excellent reviews so I, too, will have to watch for the DVD.
Who are you referencing here? Also, I really have a hard time understanding why so much of the show is unintelligible to anyone. Are you a non-native English speaker? Even so, most of the “slang” is pretty straightforward, and/or reasonable intelligible given the context.
I’m pretty sure they’re talking about The Wire.
Yes, I am a ‘non-native English speaker’ (contrary to Stoid, most probably) but I believe my knowledge of (American) English to be, at a minimum, at par with that of the average American viewer. Maybe you should inform the few members of the cast – and one or two senior members of the crew, if I remember correctly – who seemed to be somewhat at a loss with the occasional… intricacies of the dialogue.
/end of hijack/