Oh my god it would be a DISASTER to jump in anywhere other than the beginning! Yikes!
And perhaps it will help to persuade some skeptics to know that this (relatively unknown!) show led to three consecutive emmys for Best Actor for the lead, Bryan Cranston. That’s how I first heard about it, the first year he won. The whole season was only 7 episodes and he WON. Then he won again, then again. And the third year (last) his co-star Aaron Paul won for supporting actor.
So if you can appreciate real excellence in acting, that should get your attention. Because Cranston absolutely deserved every single one. He’s flawless at portraying an extraordinarily complex man going through extraordinary circumstances. Just flawless.
You probably won’t believe this, but I have very poor impulse control and I watched all three seasons (33 episodes) in slightly over 48 hours. Yeah. I did. Cuz I’m sick like that.
Since that first rush of gobbling them all up, I’ve watched them all again at least once, most 3-4 times, and I’ve watched all the eps that have commentary with the commentary. Plus every single extra on every single disk.
I have never in my life ever bought a series on optical disc. If I feel the need for archiving, I use—ahem—bittorrent. But I own all three seasons of Breaking Bad. On Blu-ray, bitch. The show is a masterpiece—the storyline, the acting, the cinematography—it’s flawless. After the series makes its run, I think it will be a long time before something of its caliber comes along again.
We have been happy that Netflix is giving us the 3rd season of Hotel Babylon (British), which BBC America used to carry. There are 4 seasons total, all available on DVD. Takes an episode or two to get to know the characters (of course). Hour-long show set in a 4-star hotel, equal parts comedy and drama.
Popped back in here to say that we’ve picked up the first season of Breaking Bad and have watched the first two episodes so far. Pretty good. Not yet up to “great,” but I’m sure that’s coming. I used to live in Albuquerque myself, and it’s fun to see a show set there.
On your advice I watched this. I *loved *the first two seasons, so thanks for the solid recommendation. But what happened starting season 3? It’s like a whole new group of writers who were only vaguely familiar with the characters signed on to write the show. I gave up halfway through.
Those first two seasons work in a pretty self contained sort of way so you can stop there and be happy with the ending. But it’s weird that the show just went off a cliff like that.
I just started watching Doc Martin on Netflix. Also a great show. I just finished season two and can’t wait to get into season 3.
I listened to everyone and watched the first three seasons of Breaking Bad. While the first session was a bit frustrating at times (No spoilers for Siam Sam), the second and third were positively riveting. I watched the session finale of season three yesterday and had the foresight to have recorded the first episodes of season 4. Going to start those this week.
Thanks for all that recommended this. It was exactly what I was looking for. Next, The Wire.
For a few shorter, but excellent, British series (if you can get a hold of them):
[ul]
[li]Being Human–Still running there, with a US remake going on SyFy. Really good, and the two series have diverged enough that watching the UK version doesn’t ruin the US. If you don’t know, it’s about a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost sharing a house and trying to live a ‘normal’ life.[/li][li]Misfits–Two short seasons with another on the way this fall. About a group of teens doing community service for petty crimes that end up with superpowers. [/li][li]Primeval–5 seasons, so lots to watch of this one. They haven’t announced a sixth yet, but it could happen. About a group of scientist/adventurers working for the government, trying to deal with time portals that keep popping up, leading to dinosaurs running around the Forest of Dean, or a mammoth on the M5. The plot isn’t always airtight and the ‘science’ is far from perfect, but great popcorn TV. The CGI critters are great.[/li][/ul]
Another one that’s hard to get, and only has one season so far, is the Canadian show Lost Girl. About the intrigue of the Fae in the modern world. The main character is a succubus who grew up thinking she was human.
Archer is definitely entertaining as all get out. My wife and I were alternating between Breaking Bad and Archer for a while – both masterpieces operating on opposite ends of the spectrum. Venture Bros is probably my other favorite comedy running, but it’s very, very dorky and I hesitate to ever recommend it. If you’re somebody who’ll like it, there’s a good chance you’re already watching.
We’re having trouble securing the second season of Breaking Bad, so in the meantime we picked up the first season of Monk and have thoroughly enjoyed it. We’re up to the last episode of the season. We’d seen two episodes while staying at various hotels in Southeast Asia and decided it looked good. It really is quite addictive even if you can figure out the crime much of the time.
After reading this thread, I got the idea that Breaking Bad just might be worth a viewing. It’s damn riveting, racing through season one at the moment. I have a full series boxset of The Wire just gathering dust at the moment. Should I just take a deep breath and plunge into it too?
Always Sunny is a fantastic choice. Pants wettingly hilarious. Modern Family is the series I’m starting right now…really funny and well done for a sitcom.
