Absolutely.
No, it’s 3rd, behind (1) The Wire and (2) The Shield.
Asked and answered, I guess.
It’s great but it’s not at the same level as “The Wire.”
just asking, wire and shield fans, but why do you think so?
You mean you’re asking us to back up our opinion with examples and reasoning, instead of a one word answer? You started the thread - let’s hear your reasons regarding “Breaking Bad” first.
I tried to watch the Wire. Made it through one and a half episodes.
I was riveted from the opening sequence of Breaking Bad and my enthusiasm has never ebbed.
Never caught the Sheild.
So for me? Yes.
sure- loaded with morality debates, perfect balance of comedy/tragedy, a sense of veritas like I’ve seen in no other show (the viewer gets a sense of what is happening with border issues, the cartels, the American Southwest, etc.), perfect musical arrangement, menacing characters, actually having a person with a disability playing a person with a disability (Walt, Jr.), new-Western appeal like in “No Country For Old Men”, et cetera… I can go on for paragraphs here
With respect to important and dramatic storytelling, The Wire has a breadth and depth that no show has come close to equaling. It hits everything perfectly. As a writer, it was amazing to watch and it evoked the same giddy sensations I got when I read great fiction. I knew I was seeing something incredible. It was an elevating experience.
I can’t say the same for The Shield because it’s an awful, embarrassing show with almost no redeeming qualities.
I would place Breaking Bad in my current Top Five. Right now I’m preferring the new show Justified and the slightly older The Good Wife. Once you bring in older shows for an All-Time ranking, I move other shows above Breaking Bad but I’d still say Top Ten for it.
Never seen Breaking Bad, but my #1 show is Six Feet Under.
Skyler. Walt Jr.
Neither of them were on The Wire, so The Wire must be better.
Just over a month ago I started Your Favorite All-Time TV Shows on 03-22-2010, 08:28 AM. The summary of the voting is in this post.
We were talking about this the other night. One of the reasons I like it so much is the writing makes you pay attention to get all the plot elements. Lots of subtle references that you don’t make the connections with right away. Makes you think, and it is very satisfying.
This is true about The Wire as well.
The Wire also covers robgotabingbang’s comments about morality debates, a balance of comedy/tragedy, a sense of veritas, menacing characters, etc. Plus, it had some characters that you can actually like, and while I enjoy watching the BB characters, I can’t say that I like any of them.
The Wire is being taught in sociology classes at some major universities. I don’t know if Breaking Bad will ever reach that level, at least not for sociology. It just doesn’t cover enough territory. The scope is narrower. I don’t know where it’d fit in a curriculum – psychology, maybe?
I don’t think it’s the best ever but it’s in my top ten, and I can’t come up with any complaints about it. I think it’s a small masterpiece. I think The Wire is a large masterpiece. 
But if BB ever comes up with a scene that has the wallop of “This is me, right here” [Wallace], I might reconsider my opinion.
Wow, 11 for Deadwood. I mean, it was good and all, but…11?
One and a half episodes is about what I caught of The Wire when it first started, and I managed to ignore it for a couple of years. Then I happened to catch, on the recommendation of a few people, the beginning of the 4th season and for some reason got hooked. When I went back to watch it all, I could see why I dropped it the first time, but then all these pieces that took a lot of time to build and introduce started clicking together and there was no turning back from there. The first few episodes seems like a standard cop show, only more boring because there’s never anything resolved. It builds. Best TV show ever. Breaking Bad is VERY good, too, but doesn’t have the scope, either in subject matter or socio-political exploration/exposition that The Wire has.
I agree with this. I don’t really like the plots with Walt and Skyler. And while I think the kid that plays Walt Jr. is pretty awesome, I think his character is a bit too childish for his age.
I like Breaking Bad and I’ve watched every episode, and I find it incredibly slow. Sometimes painfully slow. The bits that are not slow are wonderful, but there’s just something about it that makes me yawn an awful lot.
I feel the same way about Lost, too. Plenty of stuff to dig your teeth in to (and I watch it like a semi-crazed fan), but still too much fluff inbetween.
I realize The Wire does take 5-6 episodes to get in to, and that was true for me as well, but once you “get it” it never seemed slow. Every episode was just so…rich.
Maybe Breaking Bad is just too desert-y for me. Or there’s too many characters who do more staring than talking.
Not just desert-y, but raw and spare and soulless – dare I say it? – kinda ugly. Some of the desert scenes are gorgeous but that just emphasizes these joyless characters and their bleak, depressing lives. I’m sure it’s done by design because it fits perfectly with the show, but it can be kinda hard to watch.
Yes, 11.
Actually, the top two are Arrested Development and The Venture Bros.
I’ve never seen Breaking Bad (or any of the other shows that have been mentioned), but I’d say that, at a minimum, making me pay for a premium channel to watch a show pretty much disqualifies if from consideration as “best.” N.B. I do not purport to know which of the mentioned shows are on premium channels.