# You should be watching Breaking Bad. You will thank me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879 "2012-03-26T21:17:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/41 "2012-03-27T16:03:05Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I’ve been thinking about starting a thread to discuss this - whether bleak is inherently more interesting, or it’s just that people who’ve decided to break from the TV pack by showing more intelligent, in depth, and adult-oriented entertainment try to buck the trend for the normal hero-always-wins-everything-is-fine nature of typical TV. > > Anyway, Breaking Bad is fairly bleak - there’s a lot of unpleasantness, and if you need to relate to the main character and consider him to be fundamentally a good guy, then it’s probably not for you. It’s difficult at times to keep in mind that it’s dark comedy, rather than drama. Or maybe a dramedy. There’s a lot of tension, to be sure, and it does turn somewhat bleak at times, but then something like the cousins come along, and while they’re menacing, you have to laugh at the over-the-top badness. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/42 "2012-03-27T16:07:41Z")
I watched the first season. I stopped after that. I just couldn’t get into it and never bothered with season two. I couldn’t tell you why. ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/43 "2012-03-27T18:48:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s difficult at times to keep in mind that it’s dark comedy, rather than drama. Or maybe a dramedy. There’s a lot of tension, to be sure, and it does turn somewhat bleak at times, but then something like the cousins come along, and while they’re menacing, you have to laugh at the over-the-top badness. I think these moments are well crafted ways of tying up loose parts of the plot that are no longer required. Such as the way Ted’s character was written out of the series (conveniently tripping over carpet). ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/44 "2012-03-27T18:58:19Z")
haven’t watched this yet, but intend to. I always liked “Malcolm in the Middle”, thought all the cast was excellent & look forward to watching Bryan Cranston in a different type role. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/45 "2012-03-27T19:05:05Z")
Just watched season one. Very good show. I’ve never tried meth, though, and now I’m kinda curious. How many seasons have there been? Just ordered season 2 discs from Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/46 "2012-03-27T19:06:03Z")
> [@Critical\_Mass](#): > > I think these moments are well crafted ways of tying up loose parts of the plot that are no longer required. Such as the way Ted’s character was written out of the series (conveniently tripping over carpet). First off, if anyone who hasn’t seen this show is tempted to click on that spoiler…it’s a HUGE spoiler. Probably the biggest one in this thread. Having said that, I didn’t have a problem with it but I know a lot of people did. Anyways. You’ll notice that last season did that to a lot of things, part of the reason was that…they didn’t know if there was going to be another season so they wrote and filmed it so that Face Off could be the series finale if it needed to be, with everything all wrapped up and no loose ends. As of right now, next season is scheduled to be the final season. It’s going to be an extended season and split into two parts. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/47 "2012-03-27T19:07:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Just watched season one. Very good show. I’ve never tried meth, though, and now I’m kinda curious. How many seasons have there been? Just ordered season 2 discs from Netflix. 4 Seasons so far with Season 5 set to be the final one. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/48 "2012-03-27T19:08:26Z")
Yeah, this is my favorite show in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/49 "2012-03-27T19:28:55Z")
I keep hoping they’ll write in a part for Frankie Muniz as his estranged son. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/50 "2012-03-27T19:34:24Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > I keep hoping they’ll write in a part for Frankie Muniz as his estranged son. They’ve specifically said that as much as they’d like to have some of the MITM actors on they won’t do it because it’ll take away from the drama/darkness of the show. I have to say I agree. I don’t remember if it was Vince or Bryan that said that but it made sense when I heard it. I think there may have been one or two extremely minor one off characters from MITM that had extremely small roles on BB though. But Malcolm, Lois, Craig…not gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/51 "2012-03-27T19:45:23Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > This is on my list, but I admit I’ve been a little reluctant to start it, since it’s struck me as being kind of…bleak, I guess? That seems to be a theme in a lot of recent critically acclaimed shows. They seem to compete to see who can depict the most hopeless, depressing, miserable world for their characters to inhabit and be dragged down by, and I have a hard time finding that entertaining. Six Feet Under is the best example that I’ve actually watched. I finally had to quit because I just wanted to go hide in bed for a day after every episode. It is certainly bleak. It is one of those shows that I watch a few episodes of and then take a break with something cheery. Sometimes I can’t go back for days. That said, it is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/52 "2012-03-27T19:55:24Z")
Was the term “breaking bad” used prior to the show? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/53 "2012-03-27T20:03:17Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Hmmm…count me as a bad person. I thought the wife’s character was an implausible caricature in the first episode, I had a lot of trouble with the characterization of the wife in early episodes. The scene with the birthday gift in the pilot is to my mind completely implausible and is basically a cheap shot at a stereotype. The show is capable of much better. With that said, I’ll say I feel the character came into her own to a great degree through the run of the show. With _that_ said I will also register that I think the show definitely doesn’t do enough to evoke as much understanding of the wife’s character as it ought. I constantly have the feeling I’m seeing her _as Walt sees her_ and not as she is. That does bother me. But no show is perfect. _Breaking Bad_ is right up there. > [@](#): > > and later episodes didn’t do much to change my mind. A scene in a later episode involving the judicious use of explosives triggered my Television Bullshit meter pretty badly. Not sure what this is referring to. Can you say more without spoiling it? > [@](#): > > And several other sequences on the show seemed overwrought and gratuitously shocking in a way that just doesn’t appeal to me. I do know what you mean here. Another weakness, I agree! But this is probably just a difference in taste–it doesn’t bother me as much as it does you. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/54 "2012-03-27T20:05:56Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ve become more impressed with Dean Norris as Hank. I think Dean Norris deserves awards for his performance to the same degree that Cranston does. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/55 "2012-03-27T20:21:01Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > I watched the first 3 episodes of Breaking Bad and I just haven’t been able to bring myself to watch any more of it. It is very uncomfortable for me to watch, which is weird because I have other shows I love that aren’t light and fluffy. That’s an interesting point. I think the “uncomfortableness” is part of the lure of the show for many of us watching it. There’s been moments where I really, really wanted to look away from the screen but just couldn’t. So count me in with the rest of you that just recently started watching it and can’t get enough. I’m on about the third episode of season two via Netflix so far. Fantastic show. Favorite non lead character so far: Tuco. What a crazy badass. And his Uncle with that damn bell! Aggghh! Too bad Tuco is a goner. What a great episode that was! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/56 "2012-03-27T20:26:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Was the term “breaking bad” used prior to the show? Yes, although I’ve never heard it. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > A scene in a later episode involving the judicious use of explosives triggered my Television Bullshit meter pretty badly. > [@Frylock](#): > > Not sure what this is referring to. Can you say more without spoiling it? I assume he means the scene in the first season where Walt uses fulminate of mercury to create a big explosion in Tuco’s office as they are negotiating. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/57 "2012-03-27T20:29:05Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > They’ve specifically said that as much as they’d like to have some of the MITM actors on they won’t do it because it’ll take away from the drama/darkness of the show. I have to say I agree. I don’t remember if it was Vince or Bryan that said that but it made sense when I heard it. > > I think there may have been one or two extremely minor one off characters from MITM that had extremely small roles on BB though. But Malcolm, Lois, Craig…not gonna happen. Yeah, I know they couldn’t actually do it. It would be freakin’ hilarious, and hilarity isn’t exactly what they’re shooting for. Still, it _would_ be freakin’ hilarious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/58 "2012-03-27T21:21:57Z")
I love this show. It’s certainly nothing I’d ever have chosen to watch, based on the brief storyline in the TV guide but my son (27) was watching it and I couldn’t stop watching. Unfortunately for me, he also kept watching it while I wasn’t a home, so I missed a fair bit. Now I have the first three seasons on DVD and am buying season 4 today, so I’ll start watching it from the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/59 "2012-03-27T21:33:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > 4 Seasons so far with Season 5 set to be the final one. The season 4 DVD will be out in June – June 12, I think. When does the new season start? This fall? ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879/60 "2012-03-27T21:45:29Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > The season 4 DVD will be out in June – June 12, I think. > > When does the new season start? This fall? In July, according to [this article](http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-la-lanews-aaron-paul-on-breaking-bads-20120319,0,1802702.story).(Warning: Spoilers in article!) They started filming here in Albuquerque yesterday. I can’t wait to see what happens next! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-should-be-watching-breaking-bad-you-will-thank-me/616879.md?page=4)