Both shows are good, but BB is better by a far margin because of the way it keeps you guessing about what will happen next. This is its fifth and final season, but it has been relentless in keeping the audience’s interest with gripping plots. I’ve watched MM also and enjoyed its great characters, but if I miss an episode it was no big deal. Not true about BB. I’m always anticipating the next episode. The closest competitor to BB, IMHO, is the 2004 Battlestar Galactica. One thing all these great shows have in common is a superb cast of actors.
No response for me in the poll. 
I only watch Mad Men, but I can’t say for certain that it’s better than Breaking Bad, only that I’m not particularly interested in shows focused on the drug trade and the people involved in it. (I could never get into The Wire either but I certainly wouldn’t claim that makes it a bad show.)
I watch both shows and judge MAD MEN to be better.
I really like both shows, but Breaking Bad stresses me out more. I find I am on edge while I am watching it. So for me, Mad Men is better.
It’s funny, it was this thread that made me watch Breaking Bad two years ago. I only watched Mad Men at the time and thought “How could BBad possibly be as good as Mad Men?” but then tons of people were picking it. So I started watching Breaking Bad not long after and … Breaking Bad is better. Best show on TV, hands down.
I only watch Mad Men. I tried one episode of Breaking Bad and it turned me off so I never want to watch it again. However, I DO see that it IS a very good show and how lots of people love it. Just not my cup of tea, I’m more interested in vintage fashions and swooningly handsome men than I am in losers in the drug trade. (shudders and clutches pearls with a well-manicured hand…)
I’m still waiting on those Princess Leia photos, Skald.
Mad Men is extremely well-crafted, but I don’t think it’s even in the same league as Breaking Bad. There’s just nothing in Mad Men that compels me to watch it. I felt like I was reading “Great Literature” that, while interesting on some level, was more or less a slog. Yeah, the window dressing is nice. But if I were interested in that I’d just peruse a clothing catalog.
Mad Men is fun to watch. Breaking Bad is engaging.
Rhymer Industries exists to make money for me and to make the world worse for the rest of you.
Exactly—I don’t go berserk on Sunday nights counting the minutes until Mad Men comes on.
I watched the first few episodes of Mad Men, it seemed really good, I thought I would like it… but have never really regretted not seeing more. Breaking Bad is the best show on TV right now, top 5 of all time.