Is ‘Breaking Bad’ greatest TV show ever?
I’ve been addicted for a few years now, ever since an all-day bender in a Dallas hotel room.
Since then I’ve been trying to get my friends and family hooked. My brother-in-law is the most recent victim. He’s been consuming at a pretty torrid pace for a few weeks now.
Just this past weekend I gave my in-laws a quick sample; it won’t be long before they’ve been taken under too. I’ve sucked in my best friends and even tried to convince my undergraduates to give it a try.
My name is Brandon Szuminsky, and I’m addicted to the AMC drama “Breaking Bad.” And I don’t want to be cured; no, I want everyone else I know to be hooked too.
What is it that makes us want to proselytize for our favorite TV shows? Why can’t I stop talking about AMC’s award-winning drama starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul?
Well, for one, it is a show unlike any other on television. At the most basic, the whole show boils down to watching the main character, the good guy, become the bad guy. And since the cardinal rule of a television show is not to change your main character; “Breaking Bad” is basically an entire show devoted to flouting that axiom.
The star of the show and main draw is Cranston (who previously played the whack-a-doo dad on “Malcolm in the Middle”). The plot and show’s narrative arc centers around his character Walter White, a beleaguered high school chemistry teacher beaten down by life when we first meet him in season 1. Only a few minutes into the pilot and a few days after his 50th birthday, we see Walt be diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. A man of limited means with a teenage son with cerebral palsy and a baby on the way, Walt stumbles into a, let’s say, unconventional way of making a nest egg to leave behind for his family in the short time his doctors gave him.
While on a ride-a-long with his DEA agent brother-in-law, Walt discovers one of his former students has graduated from being a high school burnout to low-level crystal meth cook. So Walt, the trained chemist that he is, does the logical thing and puts all that chemistry skill to good use making meth in order to provide for his family once he’s gone. And since we find out during the show that Walt is a pretty darn good chemist (flashbacks reveal how he ends up teaching teenagers instead of working on heavy duty lab work), the meth he makes is far and away the best on the market — and quickly makes Walt a rich man. But as Walt finds financial success — and respect — as a meth cook, the initial justifications for his actions start to crumble under the weight of his double life and the lengths he has to go to in order to navigate in the drug trade.
Long story short, viewers are treated to five superb seasons exploring a simple premise: Do the ends justify the means? What are the consequences of the choices we make?
After all, it’s no spoiler to tell you that Walt’s initial good intentions (providing for his family once he’s gone by engaging in a little “harmless” illegal activity) quickly snowball into more self-centered ones. And the genius of the show is that despite Walt’s galling hubris, terrifying behavior and continued lawbreaking, you can’t help but root for him along the way.
Much of that has to do with the brilliance of Cranston’s performance, which has earned him three straight Emmy Awards. Aaron Paul, who plays Walt’s dropout partner, has also taken home an Emmy for his captivating performance. To say the show is amazing is not an exaggeration: as a whole, the show has won 26 industry awards and has been nominated 58 times and it regularly finds itself on “Best of” lists, including quite a few prominent critics calling it the best television show ever. In other words, it’s pretty darn good.
Now, just because it’s exceptional, doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a little escapist television that serves up some easy laughs or low-stakes “reality” drama. But if you want a television show that challenges you, that expects something of you and that will stun you and leave you speechless, you need to watch “Breaking Bad.”
“But, but, but,” you stammer, realizing that the show is a few episodes into its fifth and final season, “how can I watch a show that I missed out on? I can’t drop a few hundred dollars on DVDs!”
Worry not, dear reader, for all four completed seasons are available on Netflix Instant, meaning that you’re a $7.99 subscription and an Internet connection away from having 30 hours of glorious “Breaking Bad” to watch.
In a way, it makes me quite jealous. To think you have all these great episodes ahead of you; your future is so bright.
If you’d like to discuss possible ways the show might end next year, Brandon Szuminsky can be reached at bszuminsky@heraldstandard.com. (But only if you know why the first two letters of his name are bold face.)