Might have to revisit Walter White.
Posted on 01/20/2018 8:13:06 AM PST by Drew68
Television changed the night of January 20, 2008: Breaking Bad, a bold and singular drama about a downtrodden, dying high school teacher so desperate for cash that he starts cooking crystal meth, would come to define a golden era of television. But nobody knew that on the night the show premiered. In fact, there was every reason to assume the show, debuting on a then-nascent network with no track record in original programming, wouldn’t last past its first season.
Breaking Bad was not a ratings hit, not a household name, not a show that earned a spot in the zeitgeist for several years. Its slow-burn character writing, bleakly stunning visuals, and moral nuance made it niche; its early days brought a series of hurdles that could have killed a lesser show. But it had a passionate fanbase, a growing mass of critical support, and a network that believed in this story of a good man gone bad—or, depending on your take, a bad man finally given the chance to unmask himself.
Turning "Mr Chips into Scarface," as creator Vince Gilligan has famously dubbed Walter White’s transformation from milquetoast to ruthless drug lord, is no small feat. Through Bryan Cranston’s six-time Emmy winning performance, viewers witnessed a modern-day Greek tragedy—a man who claims to be protecting his family but ends up destroying them, along with Jesse (Aaron Paul), his protégé and greatest victim. It was a meticulous, mesmerizing character study that made it impossible to look away once you were in. As the acclaim and the awards piled up, the ratings gradually followed. By the season finale in 2013, viewership had spiked tenfold, with a record 10.3 million viewers tuning in for the final chapter.
(Excerpt) Read more at esquire.com ...
Might have to revisit Walter White.
One of the best shows ever.
This show absolutely hauled ass.
I think Vince Gilligan’s efforts on the X-Files went largely unnoticed and under-appreciated...but they definitely put his creative talents on display for those who cared to take a look.
“Breaking Bad,” “Justified,” Downton Abbey,” “The Sopranos,” “Rome,” the first 5 seasons of “The Walking Dead,” and “Game Of Thrones” are binge-worthy. In fact, binging is the best way to watch these shows.
All are 10 times better than any movie released in the last 20 years.
I think Matt Bracken’s “Enemies Trilogy” would also make a great series if given equal production values and casting.
I have never seen this show, but of course, I have heard about it. For those who liked it, do you think it may have helped to romanticize, if not even normalize Meth use in the general public? Or was it always clear that this was for entertainment purposes only? I don’t know, since I never saw it.
I also had similar apprehension about Dexter, that TV series about a serial killer. Have shows like these worked to deflate the soul, erase the morals of America?
I was a latecomer. I had never watched an episode while it aired. Of course, I had heard of the show. I'm not completely detached from popular culture. I knew the premise and vaguely knew of the character of Walter White. I knew how it ended.
A few years ago my wife and I were looking for something to watch on Netflix and settled on Breaking Bad. We slugged through the first couple of episodes as the characters were introduced and by the fourth or so episode, my wife and I were both completely hooked. We'd watch 3-4 episodes at once.
I had never seen anything on TV like this before.
On a side note, I loved Bloodline until the last season. The writers and actors kind of mailed it in, but the story and writing was great until the final season.
The whole series is a warning that greed and drugs destroy the body and soul.
The best ending to any show, in any era.
The last show was a masterpiece. And for that show is high praise.
Soprano’s..
I just finished season 3.
Binge Watching is Really a great way
To take it all in.
Breaking Bad will be next.
Mobsters are people too.
I completely agree. It's the main reason why I have so little interest in movies these days. Television is just so much better.
There's an argument to be made that the ability to binge watch, pause and re-watch a scene, and watch an episode whenever you want has given the writers and directors much more freedom to add little "Easter Eggs", details that are caught on repeated viewings, than movies have.
A two hour film just cannot compete with the level of writing and character development that today's TV can.
Yesterday we finished binge watching BB on Netflix. (Reason for my tagline.) We didn’t realize we had missed so much the first time around. Very good show — but has a LOT of dark moments and twists.
There was not a single frame of Breaking Bad that made meth use look attractive or glamorous. It was always portrayed as destructive, as were the people involved in it. Walter White never touched the stuff he cooked up.
I envy people who have never watched Breaking Bad before.
You are in for one helluva ride!
I literally binge-watched the show every single night and stayed in an entire weekend finishing watching it.
“The best ending to any show, in any era.”
Nah, that goes to Newhart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgdUWXf8jJk
Please add “Hell on Wheels” to the list.
Maybe you can explain this then (I posted this on the IMDB board a year ago when they still had a forum on there before they took it down completely). Why don’t they say have an A1-A day as that was the name of the car wash not A1 Carwash?
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