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 ...
Is Vince Gilligan part of the new episodes of X-Files that just started this week?
Wow... I also thought off that.... I thing it would be very germane to whats happening in our government this very day..!
There would be LOTS of interest in such a program...
Yes, they are close.
But as a drama, you saw Walt redeem himself, free the “innocent” and kill all of the bad guys—and getting himself whacked in the end. It was perfect.
And the use of Baby Blue at the end gave me chills.
There’s no romanticization in BB, or Dexter. They’re both very much about bad people and not at all shy about them being bad people. Now like the Godfather they’re very good at making you root for these bad people, but you feel guilty about it. If anything they’re good for the morals of the country, they show bad as bad.
Unfortunately, the subject matter is verboten in fascist Hollywood. Too bad, as I think it would be an enormous hit if done right.
Yes, I find I enjoy the serialized mini series more than two hour feature length stuff these days. Seems like that’s the only place the talent and original stories are.
Great article, thanks! I’m actually currently binge watching this for the fourth time with my boyfriend who’s never seen it. We have six episodes to go so we’ll finish it this weekend. Very timely article to see now. Absolutely groundbreaking series, incredible acting and all around excellent show!
I swear the first season was supposed to be a black comedy. Rewatch it. It’s hilarious.
Without a doubt it portrays a seedy criminal world in its darkest base behavior that you’d never want to go near. Completely opposite of romantizicing it and wholly appropriate for the subject matter. A great study in human nature. Watch it!
You really should post SPOILER ALERT for those reading this who haven’t seen the series. I just cringe when people do this and rob the experience from people who won’t get to enjoy the same ride.
It’s a terrific series that starts slow and gets better with each season. Like every great series it takes time to grow. Too bad Cranston is a hopeless leftist among the worst. If you asked him who did more for mankind Obongo or Jesus he would have to think about it.
You learn in the first episode that Walter White has terminal cancer.
Knowing that he's not going to get out alive doesn't take away from the awesome experience that viewing the show brings.
The Commentaries are PRICELESS!
DVDs are the Best for added info.
Filming techniques,
Location issues and
Actor’s with there problems.
That’s Entertainment!
Also about actions/consequences.
It was bad for society. It was bad for me. But I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Walter Gets Wacked!??!
You ruined the Entire series for Me!
Next time ...
SPOLIER ALERT!!!
/S
Let’s not forget “Better Call Saul”an excellent prequel to Breaking Bad. Can’t wait for season 4.
yes, I didn’t watch it at first, so binge watched it on Netflix. One of the best
It made me want to break to the bad side. It made me start doing something, growing weed, that turned out to not be a wise choice. I learned something about the game Walter played though, in real life. Had a super close call where cops were IN MY HOUSE after a break-in and they didn’t search the whole place. But the main thing I learned, is once you start to play the game, and the money starts rolling in, it becomes extremely difficult to stop. It takes on a life of its own. As Walter’s career trajectory tragically depicts. I was not making a lot of money, I never figured out how to scale up, but it was enough that I didn’t stop, even when I got to the point where I wanted to.
I just completed watching the entire series on Netflix.
It only took about 2 weeks. It was like a book that you CANNOT put down.
Far and away the finest drama TV ever produced.
I encourage everyone to watch this entire series, there’s never before been anything like it, and we can only hope for a future series as compelling.
“I guess I got what I deserved...” “My Baby Blue” will haunt your mind for some time afterward.
In fact I read on Wikipedia that song went to #14 on the Billboard charts the week after the final episode.
A full 44 years after its original release.
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