# Help settle a debate: Which do you think is the better show, The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075 "2014-12-24T01:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/21 "2014-12-24T03:15:10Z")
I enjoy TWD, but must say whatever the latest season that’s on Netflix, I haven’t gotten through it yet. I normally binge new seasons of shows I like, within a couple weeks. I still like it, just haven’t found it more compelling than a couple other shows I’m watching right now. Breaking Bad, OTOH, I consumed every episode asap whenever they were released to whatever viewing venue I was using at the time (disk or streaming). I have also watched the whole thing a second time. It’s a masterpiece. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/22 "2014-12-24T03:19:23Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Only one way to settle this: [Rap Battle.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQHQvtIr6w) All right, dammit. That was 30 minutes lost. On the subject of the poll it’s Breaking Bad. It’s simply brilliantly written and with a character who gets some power for the first time in his life and goes mad. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/23 "2014-12-24T03:30:24Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Breaking Bad is very clearly the better show, but that doesn’t mean that she’ll enjoy it more. Yes. Great point. > [@](#): > > The protagonist is revealed to be an unrepentantly horrible (though fascinating) human being. More to the point, he becomes one, and the transformation is so well-written and well-acted that the viewer faces a point along the way of having to recognize that they are identifying with someone who does loathsome things. It forces you to feel like turning against the protagonist. Even then there’s an ambivalence that is really very remarkable. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/24 "2014-12-24T03:42:10Z")
I have a secret. I dislike Breaking Bad. I gave it shot. I watched the first couple episodes, didn’t like it, and moved on. Then when all the talk about it being as good as The Wire and the best thing on TV, I gave it another shot. I watched 6 more episodes. Still didn’t like Breaking Bad. I dislike the characters, I dislike the plot, I found it mind-numbingly boring, and it covered the same ground over and over and over and over. I like anti-heroes. I like deep stories. I love me some Brian Cranston. I don’t like Breaking Bad. Just because a guy has a shitty life does not make his descent into assholishness any more interesting than watching paint dry. And every other character in the show is a one-dimensional prop for him to play off. There could be a very compelling, very interesting maybe 110 minute movie in there. Flush out the characters, add some more compelling bad guys, and more intriguing situations, and I may like it. But dragging one movie’s worth of idea over 6 seasons seems incredibly annoying. And that’s after I only watched 6 episodes. There, I said it. I feel much better now. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/25 "2014-12-24T03:53:57Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > I have a secret. > > I dislike Breaking Bad. > > I gave it shot. I watched the first couple episodes, didn’t like it, and moved on. Then when all the talk about it being as good as The Wire and the best thing on TV, I gave it another shot. I watched 6 more episodes. > > Still didn’t like Breaking Bad. > > I dislike the characters, I dislike the plot, I found it mind-numbingly boring, and it covered the same ground over and over and over and over. > > I like anti-heroes. I like deep stories. I love me some Brian Cranston. > > I don’t like Breaking Bad. Just because a guy has a shitty life does not make his descent into assholishness any more interesting than watching paint dry. And every other character in the show is a one-dimensional prop for him to play off. > > There could be a very compelling, very interesting maybe 110 minute movie in there. Flush out the characters, add some more compelling bad guys, and more intriguing situations, and I may like it. But dragging one movie’s worth of idea over 6 seasons seems incredibly annoying. And that’s after I only watched 6 episodes. > > There, I said it. I feel much better now. You’re not alone. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/26 "2014-12-24T04:01:01Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > There could be a very compelling, very interesting maybe 110 minute movie in there. Flush out the characters, add some more compelling bad guys, and more intriguing situations, and I may like it. But dragging one movie’s worth of idea over 6 seasons seems incredibly annoying. And that’s after I only watched 6 episodes. I’m a big BB fan and I kind of agree with this, however it’s a valid critique of almost every single episodic piece of work ever created. I think you’d be very hard pressed to find a good long running series (TV, books, movies, whatever) and not be able to say “cut 50% and you have a vastly better product”. There’s no way this story would have been any where near this good in a single movie, there’s just too much depth and breadth dealt with in the entire run to condense it that much and still have the amazing story we were told. But a whole lot could have been cut and it would have been better. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/27 "2014-12-24T04:05:52Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > You’re not alone. And yet, you are. So very, very alone. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/28 "2014-12-24T04:10:52Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I’m a big BB fan and I kind of agree with this, however it’s a valid critique of almost every single episodic piece of work ever created. In part. But one great thing about The Wire was that, for the most part, the characters and situations changed each season. One season was (mostly) about the drug trade in the projects, next the unions and dock work, next politics and structures, fourth was schools, and fifth was the press. Each year, there was something new, something intriguing, to keep it from getting boring and rehashing the same crap every single season. You’re right, a vast majority of TV series go on much too long though. Breaking Bad was one of those. And maybe The Walking Dead will be one too. > [@zoid](#): > > There’s no way this story would have been any where near this good in a single movie, there’s just too much depth and breadth dealt with in the entire run to condense it that much and still have the amazing story we were told. I’ll take your word for it. I just didn’t give a crap enough about the characters or plot to sit through all the tedium for a few gems. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/29 "2014-12-24T04:23:00Z")
Well shit. Now I have to rethink everything I thought was awesome about Breaking Bad. Hamlet didn’t like it. Someone call Vince Gilligan to let him know. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/30 "2014-12-24T04:45:05Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Well shit. Now I have to rethink everything I thought was awesome about Breaking Bad. Hamlet didn’t like it. > > Someone call Vince Gilligan to let him know. Dude, I offered an opinion on a TV show. Get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/31 "2014-12-24T04:52:42Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > And yet, you are. So very, very alone. No, he isn’t. I don’t much care for BB either. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/32 "2014-12-24T05:09:39Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > No, he isn’t. I don’t much care for BB either. That was not a serious comment on my part. I just got done saying that not everyone will like it. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/33 "2014-12-24T05:37:00Z")
Holy god, is this really even a contest? _Breaking Bad_ by several million light years. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/34 "2014-12-24T05:41:19Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > If you mom thinks TWD is the best TV show ever then she hasn’t watched a lot of TV or she really, really likes zombies and post apocalyptic settings. TWD had a legit good first season but it’s been downhill since then. It cranks out a worthwhile episode every once in awhile but it’s been in “so bad it’s good” territory for a long time. Not that there’s anything wrong with enjoying shlock (shlock is an important part of a balanced diet) but one should recognize it for what it is. > > Live action dramas of the 21st century better than TWD, no particular order: > > Breaking Bad > Six Feet Under > The Wire > The Sopranos > Game of Thrones > Orange is the New Black > Rome > The Shield > House of Cards > Homeland > Arrested Development > Community > > I never got around to seeing Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, Weeds, or Dexter, but I bet they’re better too. You forgot _Deadwood_, the second greatest drama of all time, after _Breaking Bad_ (and fuck _The Wire_ [he said, after slogging through two fucking seasons of that show, with very little to, um, show for it]). ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/35 "2014-12-24T06:30:25Z")
I gave up on Breaking bad after the third episode and never went back. I gave up on Walking Dead after the third season, and have checked in periodically to keep up. The latest season was pretty decent. Walking Dead has had its moments, but it is not particularly good overall. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/36 "2014-12-24T08:56:50Z")
I watched the first six or so episodes of The Walking Dead, and I got to thinking about what I would do in that situation. There are a lot of habitable islands off the coast of Georgia and up and down the Eastern seaboard. Find one big enough to have fresh water and arable land, and you’re in business. Clear it of zombies and then bring over everything you need from the mainland. Zombies aren’t going to swim out or pilot ships. Maybe there was a reason that couldn’t be done, but everything they did seemed kind of stupid. Also, they in the beginning they were having trouble finding guns. In rural Georgia. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/37 "2014-12-24T10:30:07Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > No, he isn’t. I don’t much care for BB either. Yet you guys are polling well under the crazification factor. That’s not exactly alone but it is in the three hour tour numbers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/38 "2014-12-24T10:38:41Z")
To put it another way. If the poll ratio continues more dentists by percentage would not recommend sugarless gum than those who preferred TWD over Breaking Bad. ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/39 "2014-12-24T10:39:05Z")
Breaking Bad. Every day of the week & twice on Sundays. I have seen every episode of both BB & TWD. I’ve seen all of BB 3 times. (omitting much of Walter’s dealings with Skylar) You would need to pay me, a lot, to watch all of TWD more than just the once. TWD can be clever & deliver every now & again, which is why I still watch it. But, it can also be staggeringly stupid. They have slash & hack scenes in every episode. Maybe they’re contractually mandated … I have no idea. The characters & plots just stumble along in little bursts in random directions. When someone died in BB, there was a reason. There was drama. Everything unfolded in ways that seemed plausible & believable. There was a beauty in it, like watching ice skaters in the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075/40 "2014-12-24T11:21:00Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > TWD can be clever & deliver every now & again, which is why I still watch it. But, it can also be staggeringly stupid. They have slash & hack scenes in every episode. Maybe they’re contractually mandated … I have no idea. The characters & plots just stumble along in little bursts in random directions. Almost like it’s a comic book adaptation or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-debate-which-do-you-think-is-the-better-show-the-walking-dead-or-breaking-bad/708075.md?page=3)