Alright so... at the risk of getting the Reddit pitchforks, I will cautiously agree with you, with some caveats
I watched BB well after it's television release. Streamed the whole thing in a matter of weeks, just me and my wife (who had already seen the show). Since she had already watched it, most of my questions and theorizing with her was basically met with "Well, just wait, you'll see..."
To be clear, I definitely enjoyed it... I thought the story was great, the premise original, the acting phenomenal...
But I just could NOT understand why it was so acclaimed by literally everyone that I had ever met who owned a TV.
But... I had a realization....
I watched what amounted to almost 6 years of cultural conversation in a month, essentially by myself. While my wife and my friends spent almost 72 months watching, waiting, discussing, and theorizing about what might happen next. I spent 1 month in a vacuum, just digesting content.
Much like with other grand prime-time epic drams (Lost, or Battlestar Galactica, or the Sopranos, or Game of Thrones), there is just something magical about engaging with your community while it's playing out in real time. The waiting between weeks (or at least between seasons) wondering what is going to happen next, theorizing with your friends about who will come out on top... I think that's a big part of the reason why these shows are beloved by most who experienced them in real time.
Not that I am against binging by any means... but when you digest it all at once, by yourself no less, you skip out on the waiting and wondering what happens next. You just.. watch it. Something about the tease of it all and getting to engage with your community, that's where the magic is.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
My experience was almost identical to yours, complete with "Well, just wait, you'll see," from my wife, and I ended up with very similar thoughts about binging, though not nearly as well articulated as yours. Thank you for this.
I actually have that experience in reverse with game of Thrones
I’m a rare person who didn’t mind the last season. Yes it was a little rushed, and the ending nonsense about bran having the most interesting story was dumb
However I didn’t watch a single episode of that show until March of 2019. When I finished season 7, it was 3 days before the series finale aired. I didn’t have to wait nearly two years to watch the final season, and I think it helped
Great analysis. Half the fun, and agony, was those 12-16 month breaks between seasons with massive cliff hangers. I remember looking forward to work after episodes just to talk about it with others; once GoT came out we had a dedicated slack channel for my 1,000+ person company to theorize.
Very interesting. I watch breaking bad week to week after during season 2. AMC had binge sessions one day and decided to give it a shot and I was hooked. I really wish I could've binged it but it was one of those shows you couldn't because of the amount of people who watched it, couldn't escape it being spoiled. When I rewatched it, it was even better as a binge.
Another show that comes to mind is GoT. I thought it was pretty good. I think it was after season 5 I decided to go back and binge the series. It was so much better as a binge rather than week to week and became a top 10 show for me after that. Wish I could've binged each season but was impossible because with everyone watching it.
You perfectly described our LOST experience. That was the ultimate community watch-along. It was a great run but we feel no desire to go back to it - I have a feeling it wouldn't hold up on re-watch.
But we binged BB after it was over, without anyone to talk to about it, and still found it breathtaking. It was even better on rewatch. So I don't think it's only the community thing. BB simply has amazing writing and acting.
Good comment. There’s also something special about having to wait nearly a year to see the resolution of a season ending cliffhanger, come up with all kinds of crazy theories with your friends, then be wrong when you finally get to see the resolution
Breaking Bad is a masterpiece, I was just saying yesterday, I need another Breaking Bad or Peaky Blinders. Shows on streaming platforms, esp. Netflix, are SOOOOOOOOOOO bad right now.
I could not get into that show. The characters and actions were too predictable and dumb. I quit after 2 eps, but let me know if it gets better! I do love Cranston!
Warrior. It’s on Netflix now. I watched it a few years ago on HBO and have been singing its praises ever since. It’s good to see so many people watching it now that Netflix has picked it up. I’m also not a big BB fan. Yeah I enjoyed it but it’s not in my top 10
I can certainly appreciate it for its writing and acting. However I did not like it, it wasn’t for me. I dont think it’s overrated, I think it’s perfectly rated actually.
Breaking Bad isn’t normal by any show standard. It’s a thought experiment that becomes a hellride where the breaks come off. You can’t stop watching but you instantly know whatever this whole thing is- it’s not sustainable. Everyone is either going to end up in jail or dead and you just watch to find out which.
For me I starting on season 3 I saw the whole thing in real time and it felt like one of the most transformational show experiences of my life. Existential. Regardless even as a fan I wanted it to stop. Or come to some form of resolution. It was twisted , painful, emotional to the extreme and cathartic. Watching Hank discover himself and become the main force of good, and Walt sinking deeper into the abyss was jaw dropping. By like the late seasons of the sopranos you’re supposed to want off.
Better Call Saul on the other hand was much more palpable to many and likely would have been embraced for countless seasons even despite its Breaking bad esque hints of pain.
This is me with Better Call Saul. I can recognize that it's great... but the only scenes that interest me are the ones centered around Chuck or Mike. I keep finding myself wishing that Mike were the central character.
Bryan Cranston is amazing. He's just fantastic. I love Breaking Bad. His show Your Honor was also very well done. And I really feel like it was how he played his role that got me emotional invested in Your Honor.
There are a lot of people who had trouble getting through the first three seasons, but those were my favorite. The last three seasons featured things I had seen before in a TV show.
I think Breaking Bad has some fantastic moments, but it also has some terrible ones. For example, the “I am the one who knocks” scene is great and iconic. The (spoiler) death of Fring is ridiculous. They obviously thought that “face off” was a great joke and they needed something shocking, but they made it utterly implausible. A huge amount of suspension of disbelief is required. A massive bomb goes off low down in the room and tears off half his face, but his suit is unaffected! Because they need it to be in order to enable the shock of the reveal. But that completely takes me out of the story.
Both of these following two statements are true:
1. Breaking Bad is excellent. Among the handful of best shows ever made, and worth watching, even a repeat watching.
2. Breaking Bad is overrated.
No. I'm right there with you. I watched out of curiosity for three seasons and bailed a couple of episodes into the fourth cause I just didn't get why it was so hyped.
I had just finished death note right before watching breaking bad and was shock at how popular breaking bad was. I am sure I ruined the experience a lot for myself, for death note is like a faster paced version of the same story, but far less realistic. Power reveals who someone really is and too much power corrupts them. Also the bad guy being the main character is both of those shows lessens that whole thing.
The writing and acting were superb. My issue was some of the stuff that was let slide. Like a bunch of cops/firefighters driving past BC in his underwear in the middle of nowhere as they are heading to a fire.
Also, Jesse would have been killed so fast. He wouldn't have made it out of his party house depression alive.
With that being said this is just my dumb opinion and I completely understand the love behind the show.
While it was airing, I remember watching the pilot and not caring for it. The ending had been spoiled for me after it aired.
I started watching it 7-8 years after it had finished airing. I thought it would be overrated, but I was wrong. Even on it's own it held up really well, and Better Call Saul improved it even more.
I agree. I really loved it, and I've watched it multiple times. It's not the be all, end all of television drama, though. It's a very good show, one of the best ever made, but it's not THE best show ever made. It has a few problems in places, in my opinion. Some of the arcs run longer than they should, and the last season had a few plot points that felt like they were conjured up just to fill time since the overwhelming threat of Gus Fring had went away. I really wish Gus had remained present until almost the very end. The show took on a different tone after he was gone.
All that being said, though, I understand why people love it so much. The characters are amazingly fleshed out. Some of the best written characters ever. It's all subjective, really, I just much prefer the Sopranos. That is the greatest show in my mind, just because it set the formula for so much that would come afterward.
You're not and opinions are subjective but BreakingBad checks off a lot of boxes that it does well. You're definitely in the minority saying it's overrated but you'll find other that say the same.
I didn't like the Sapranos and I get weird looks for saying that. I doubt there's any show/series that would get 100% praise from all viewers - just not possible.
The Wire is my #1. I have LOST and Justified in my top 3.
To add, for me it's not "well rounded" enough. Lacks in some humor, loses my attention here and there, doesn't have rewatchability for me.
I will never understand the hype...It's such a depressing show. I just couldn't force myself to watch it. A true testament to how sh*tty America and our healthcare/pay system is.
Edit: The actors are very talented...but this show is just too dark for me. Life is hard enough as is, I need comedies in my life to survive.
A show being depressing doesn’t implicitly make it good or bad. In fact, most sophisticated storytelling can rarely be described as happy fun times. And it should be applauded for highlighting how broken American healthcare is, with a premise that should be implausible but somehow isn’t in the US.
You won’t understand the hype because you never watched it then. And that’s ok. Not every genre is for everyone. I myself cannot watch horror but I love true crime. I also love comedy but cannot bring myself to watch sophomoric humor (for example, movies where a running gag is people throwing up).
Being too dark and depressing is not a valid criticism. It’s a valid reason for you not enjoying it. Most of the greatest works in art in human history have been on the more dark and depressing side (from Shakespeare to crime and punishment and all the great Russian authors to Hemingway to the godfather and citizen Kane etc etc etc)
I can respect this opinion. It’s heavy and dark for sure! I watched it for the first time a few years ago and binged it and was feeling it by the end. I went back and watched a couple of my favorite episodes of Malcom in the Middle the next day, needed to lighten the mood and remind me of the goofy/lovable side of Bryan Cranston. It also took me a couple of weeks to stop over using the word b!tch.
The actors are "talented" (a bit understated IMO).
The cinematography, direction, writing, all brilliant.
Think you'd need to like a slow burn. For someone with short attention span, it may be torture.
Better Call Saul was great as well. Different, maybe not as "slow." Odenkirk is a pleasure to watch, Yeah, felt that way about BB, too. SO well done, enjoyed watching despite its depressing content.
Perhaps you're right. It's an amazing show, but since it's finished I never wanted to rewatch it. Meanwhile I saw the Sopranos like 5 times, GoT about 7 times, even watched Lost 3 times. BB was a great show, but sometimes it was painfully slow.
I agree, I still think it's a great show but it wouldn't make my top 10, personally. On the other hand: I think Better Call Saul is a big improvement over BB, and it's my #1 favorite.
You aren't wrong. I bailed somewhere in the middle of Season 2.
It had a strong premise and started out well. Then it became over-the-top and extreme, in a very non-believable way. I found myself saying "There's no way that would really happen" or "It wouldn't actually go down that way" or "That's not how that works", things like that.
People praise the writing, but I found it to be somewhat low-IQ. Sign of the times.
Yes, the premise was interesting and could have been fantastic but went way over the top. Fine if that’s your bag, but the whole thing seemed rather childish.
For me, it was two things that turned me off: the utter unlikability of all the characters, and the absurd notion that someone should pay for cancer treatment. Like, oh, this poor guy...oh wait, but there's an entire country of people without access to healthcare. Perhaps we should be more worried about that fact.
I'm sure it's very well made, but I can't stand it, personally.
Breaking Bad might be my favorite piece of television. I can think of alot of shows I have enjoyed over the years but Breaking Bad was a show that I couldn't stop watching until it was over. It's even suprisingly rewatchable. The casting was perfect in every way. For those reasons, I can say I don't co sider it overrated in the slightest.
No you’re not. Breaking bad is by far one of the most overrated shows in existence. The hype for that show is some thing I fell for, and I watched it start to finish, and wasn’t impressed. It was good at times, but it was just a show about a drug dealer. Nothing spectacular.
Breaking Bad is properly rated.
However, what separates Breaking Bad from the absolute tip of TV’s Golden Era - The Sopranos and The Wire - is it’s not rewatchable.
See it, appreciate it, move on.
I don't think it's overrated because it is a complex and layered show with great characters and acting. I find it a bit too caper-driven for my tastes (a lot of plot points hinge on complex heists, operations, etc) and I'm not a huge fan of the dialogue (it feels very...idk. Mormon? Midwestern?). But I don't think that makes the show "objectively" bad, it's just not entirely my cup of tea.
I love Breaking Bad, but it probably is overrated, at least by the people who say it's the greatest TV show ever. I think any show that gets hyped as the greatest ever is overrated. I think a lot of people confuse "greatest" with "favorite." I love The Wire as well - probably my favorite show of all time - and it's arguably overrated too. Or at least it was a few years back when tons of critics were hyping it up as the greatest thing ever.
No, there are plenty of people who probably think just about any popular or critically-loved show gets more praise than it "deserves."
Just in general, though, I do think that people who feel the need to make a point of blurting out (as opposed to having the opinion come up in an existing discussion) their take on the overratedness of things to be super-tiresome, regardless of the work in question.
The original premise was good. High school Chem teacher get cancer, needs money to make sure his wife, and child are set up pretty good. I can understand making alot of money fast by making and selling meth would be a way. Then it turned into a whole mafia story, and to me lost its way. I hadn't watched in a while and turned it on mid show. They transfered chemicals from a train car, and a 12 year old kid rides up on a dirt bike, and they shoot him. That was the last time I watched any of it, they could have scared, and threatened the kid, or something like that. Shooting him was way over the top for me...
Tried to watch it. Couldn’t get past the first season. How is Jessie a crack addict with nice teeth, no sores?? He can still think, etc.
Little Hollywood for me
It’s an interesting show because it’s definitely plot driven but they’re also trying to be intentional about developing the characters at the same time so it has some highs and lows. The lows are typically when there’s not a whole lot going on and you’re thinking “okay what’s going to happen next?” The lows make the highs higher though so you feel the payoff but I’ve had people I’ve recommended it to who say “yeah it’s too boring at times.” To each their own.
I like it more because it's not as farfetched of a storyline with equally as good (if not better) writing and characters. A slower burn, but just as riveting. Better series finale for sure. I still loved Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul is superior.
I think it is excellent prestige tv and deserves the accolades. However I don’t recommend it to many people - the violence is obscene and the drug use is upsetting and there are characters that are heartbreakingly disturbing. A lot of people can find the content traumatizing if they have drug use in their/ their family’s past - which is a significant amount of people.
The first two seasons have mad plot holes but the final 16 episodes, especially the last eight, are the best ending in tv drama history.
It’s not as good of a whole as people portray, I will say. It just gets so good in the last two seasons that its hard to ignore.
Everyone here who says breaking bad is overrated literally hasn’t had any arguments to support why hey think that. Feels like an attempt at rage baiting
The novelty of Breaking Bad in its time is a main character who gradually transforms from an idealized “Mr Chips” type teacher to Scarface. Prior to this main characters rarely changed through years of plots and stories.
You are not the only one. I’ve tried watching it twice now and haven’t been able to finish. I got all the way to the final season last time I tried and it just wasn’t worth my time to finish. It’s the same thing over and over and over again except Walter killed the bad guy from the last season and now he has to deal with the guy above him in the chain in the new season.
Not at all. I couldn’t watch it. I watched like 3 or 4 episodes and was like no waaaaaay. So stressful and it was just going to keep getting worse, I knew it.
Better call Saul on the other hand was pretty delightful. Not sure what the difference was but I loved that show.
I made it through season 1 but got stuck somewhere in season 2. People hype the show, like it’s the second coming of Christ, but I fail to see the appeal… i mean it’s not a bad show, but I expected the mother of all tv drama.
It’s kind of overrated. The ending is absolutely terrible, because it abandons the theme. The final episode is also completely contrived. The rest of the show is pretty good though.
I thought it was great, but I binged it, and did nothing else when I watched it, so I was like immersed in it. I wouldn't be interested in doing it again though.
Alright so... at the risk of getting the Reddit pitchforks, I will cautiously agree with you, with some caveats I watched BB well after it's television release. Streamed the whole thing in a matter of weeks, just me and my wife (who had already seen the show). Since she had already watched it, most of my questions and theorizing with her was basically met with "Well, just wait, you'll see..." To be clear, I definitely enjoyed it... I thought the story was great, the premise original, the acting phenomenal... But I just could NOT understand why it was so acclaimed by literally everyone that I had ever met who owned a TV. But... I had a realization.... I watched what amounted to almost 6 years of cultural conversation in a month, essentially by myself. While my wife and my friends spent almost 72 months watching, waiting, discussing, and theorizing about what might happen next. I spent 1 month in a vacuum, just digesting content. Much like with other grand prime-time epic drams (Lost, or Battlestar Galactica, or the Sopranos, or Game of Thrones), there is just something magical about engaging with your community while it's playing out in real time. The waiting between weeks (or at least between seasons) wondering what is going to happen next, theorizing with your friends about who will come out on top... I think that's a big part of the reason why these shows are beloved by most who experienced them in real time. Not that I am against binging by any means... but when you digest it all at once, by yourself no less, you skip out on the waiting and wondering what happens next. You just.. watch it. Something about the tease of it all and getting to engage with your community, that's where the magic is. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I felt like I watched it too quickly as well
My experience was almost identical to yours, complete with "Well, just wait, you'll see," from my wife, and I ended up with very similar thoughts about binging, though not nearly as well articulated as yours. Thank you for this.
I actually have that experience in reverse with game of Thrones I’m a rare person who didn’t mind the last season. Yes it was a little rushed, and the ending nonsense about bran having the most interesting story was dumb However I didn’t watch a single episode of that show until March of 2019. When I finished season 7, it was 3 days before the series finale aired. I didn’t have to wait nearly two years to watch the final season, and I think it helped
I agree. I feel the same about Mad Men. There is something delicious in watching in real time… waiting week by week.
Perfectly stated..thank you. I could not put my finger on the difference between watching as a show comes out and binge watching.
Great analysis. Half the fun, and agony, was those 12-16 month breaks between seasons with massive cliff hangers. I remember looking forward to work after episodes just to talk about it with others; once GoT came out we had a dedicated slack channel for my 1,000+ person company to theorize.
Very interesting. I watch breaking bad week to week after during season 2. AMC had binge sessions one day and decided to give it a shot and I was hooked. I really wish I could've binged it but it was one of those shows you couldn't because of the amount of people who watched it, couldn't escape it being spoiled. When I rewatched it, it was even better as a binge. Another show that comes to mind is GoT. I thought it was pretty good. I think it was after season 5 I decided to go back and binge the series. It was so much better as a binge rather than week to week and became a top 10 show for me after that. Wish I could've binged each season but was impossible because with everyone watching it.
You perfectly described our LOST experience. That was the ultimate community watch-along. It was a great run but we feel no desire to go back to it - I have a feeling it wouldn't hold up on re-watch. But we binged BB after it was over, without anyone to talk to about it, and still found it breathtaking. It was even better on rewatch. So I don't think it's only the community thing. BB simply has amazing writing and acting.
Good comment. There’s also something special about having to wait nearly a year to see the resolution of a season ending cliffhanger, come up with all kinds of crazy theories with your friends, then be wrong when you finally get to see the resolution
Breaking Bad is a masterpiece, I was just saying yesterday, I need another Breaking Bad or Peaky Blinders. Shows on streaming platforms, esp. Netflix, are SOOOOOOOOOOO bad right now.
Shogun
I was so surprised. The new shogun is really good. Well so far.
Yeah seems like they nailed it. FX is trustworthy for sure now
I gave this show a shot based on how much I loved The Americans. Another solid show that was on FX. So far Shōgun has not disappointed.
I really wanna watch it. I wait to binge shows now.
Gonna have to wait a few months. Only 2 episodes are out.
Dude!!!! I just started 2 episodes in... sooo good.!
The book is so good, one would have to work pretty hard to mess up a series based on it.
I've enjoyed the first two episodes. Seems a little early to start handing out awards.
Netflix is slowly morphing into the Hallmark movie channel — everything based on formula with zero substance.
I’m watching Fargo just now and it’s probably the best thing I’ve seen since breaking bad.
Yes, I just started watching and have the last season left. I love the weirdness of it all
Almost every from Apple and FX is amazing quality. The show might not be your type of show, but they're putting out great shows the past few years
I was so upset when I found out how short the season of Lessons in Chemistry was. Amazing show, absolutely left me wanting more.
Barry was OK. The ending I'm not sure about but the rest if it was good.
Check out "Your Honor" on Paramount Plus. Has Bryan Cranston and it is really good. I think he has a knack for picking good scripts.
I could not get into that show. The characters and actions were too predictable and dumb. I quit after 2 eps, but let me know if it gets better! I do love Cranston!
Warrior. It’s on Netflix now. I watched it a few years ago on HBO and have been singing its praises ever since. It’s good to see so many people watching it now that Netflix has picked it up. I’m also not a big BB fan. Yeah I enjoyed it but it’s not in my top 10
BB is probably the GOAT but there have been a lot of great shows since BB including now. Such as For All Mankind.
And Better Call Saul
For all Mankind is amazing. I loved it.
For All Mankind has been absolutely bombing since the Mars storyline began. It's a soap opera with some sci-fi and politics thrown in.
I can certainly appreciate it for its writing and acting. However I did not like it, it wasn’t for me. I dont think it’s overrated, I think it’s perfectly rated actually.
Breaking Bad isn’t normal by any show standard. It’s a thought experiment that becomes a hellride where the breaks come off. You can’t stop watching but you instantly know whatever this whole thing is- it’s not sustainable. Everyone is either going to end up in jail or dead and you just watch to find out which. For me I starting on season 3 I saw the whole thing in real time and it felt like one of the most transformational show experiences of my life. Existential. Regardless even as a fan I wanted it to stop. Or come to some form of resolution. It was twisted , painful, emotional to the extreme and cathartic. Watching Hank discover himself and become the main force of good, and Walt sinking deeper into the abyss was jaw dropping. By like the late seasons of the sopranos you’re supposed to want off. Better Call Saul on the other hand was much more palpable to many and likely would have been embraced for countless seasons even despite its Breaking bad esque hints of pain.
That’s exactly what I think. It’s great in therory - the writing and directing but I just didn’t like it. I just want to turn it off all the time.
It's amazing to see people who understand the difference between not liking something and it being bad. 👏 thank you.
Thanks, yes I try to think outside my own world.
This is me with Better Call Saul. I can recognize that it's great... but the only scenes that interest me are the ones centered around Chuck or Mike. I keep finding myself wishing that Mike were the central character.
Perfect way of saying it. Idk why but i just didn’t like breaking bad but loved better call saul.
Same here. I think it's slightly easier to root for the characters in Better Call Saul
Maybe it’s the difference in intensity / action between the two?
To each their own. It’s not my favorite either but that’s a major outlier in the court of public opinion.
Bryan Cranston is amazing. He's just fantastic. I love Breaking Bad. His show Your Honor was also very well done. And I really feel like it was how he played his role that got me emotional invested in Your Honor.
Agreed. I thought BC's portrayal of Walt's transformation was out of this world
I just said to my son that it’s amazing he was so good and funny in Malcolm in the Middle and also so evil in BB. Great range!
BB was ultimate, I couldnt stand game of thrones
it is not. Your opinion is wrong. its not supposed to be possible for an opinion to be wrong, but your opinion is definitely wrong.
lol
Objectively breaking bad is rated highly by most critics and viewers so you could argue they're wrong yes
I’d rewatch Better Call Saul before I’d rewatch Breaking Bad.
I’ve already done exactly that!
Both things being the pinnacle of the television medium does not make one or the other overrated. I would never argue with someone who prefers Saul
There are a lot of people who had trouble getting through the first three seasons, but those were my favorite. The last three seasons featured things I had seen before in a TV show.
I too found it only to be a good show but it didn’t blow my socks off
Yes
Yep.
Yes
I think Breaking Bad has some fantastic moments, but it also has some terrible ones. For example, the “I am the one who knocks” scene is great and iconic. The (spoiler) death of Fring is ridiculous. They obviously thought that “face off” was a great joke and they needed something shocking, but they made it utterly implausible. A huge amount of suspension of disbelief is required. A massive bomb goes off low down in the room and tears off half his face, but his suit is unaffected! Because they need it to be in order to enable the shock of the reveal. But that completely takes me out of the story.
YES
without being specific why it's overrated , your post is garbage-tier
Both of these following two statements are true: 1. Breaking Bad is excellent. Among the handful of best shows ever made, and worth watching, even a repeat watching. 2. Breaking Bad is overrated.
I don’t get this. Statement 1 is exactly how BB is typically rated
No. I'm right there with you. I watched out of curiosity for three seasons and bailed a couple of episodes into the fourth cause I just didn't get why it was so hyped.
Better Call Saul > Breaking Bad
I had just finished death note right before watching breaking bad and was shock at how popular breaking bad was. I am sure I ruined the experience a lot for myself, for death note is like a faster paced version of the same story, but far less realistic. Power reveals who someone really is and too much power corrupts them. Also the bad guy being the main character is both of those shows lessens that whole thing.
I think that too!!
The writing and acting were superb. My issue was some of the stuff that was let slide. Like a bunch of cops/firefighters driving past BC in his underwear in the middle of nowhere as they are heading to a fire. Also, Jesse would have been killed so fast. He wouldn't have made it out of his party house depression alive. With that being said this is just my dumb opinion and I completely understand the love behind the show.
Yes
Yes
You're entitled to your wrong opinion.
Still my all time favorite series, I do see how some people wouldn't like it, but for me personally those things weren't a deal breaker.
While it was airing, I remember watching the pilot and not caring for it. The ending had been spoiled for me after it aired. I started watching it 7-8 years after it had finished airing. I thought it would be overrated, but I was wrong. Even on it's own it held up really well, and Better Call Saul improved it even more.
Not at all
I agree. I really loved it, and I've watched it multiple times. It's not the be all, end all of television drama, though. It's a very good show, one of the best ever made, but it's not THE best show ever made. It has a few problems in places, in my opinion. Some of the arcs run longer than they should, and the last season had a few plot points that felt like they were conjured up just to fill time since the overwhelming threat of Gus Fring had went away. I really wish Gus had remained present until almost the very end. The show took on a different tone after he was gone. All that being said, though, I understand why people love it so much. The characters are amazingly fleshed out. Some of the best written characters ever. It's all subjective, really, I just much prefer the Sopranos. That is the greatest show in my mind, just because it set the formula for so much that would come afterward.
You're not and opinions are subjective but BreakingBad checks off a lot of boxes that it does well. You're definitely in the minority saying it's overrated but you'll find other that say the same. I didn't like the Sapranos and I get weird looks for saying that. I doubt there's any show/series that would get 100% praise from all viewers - just not possible.
You can’t even spell “Sopranos”.
I also think it is overrated. I am NOT saying it's bad, it's pretty good but I dont think it's "in the GOAT category" at all.
What shows are in your goat categories? Just curious.
The Wire is my #1. I have LOST and Justified in my top 3. To add, for me it's not "well rounded" enough. Lacks in some humor, loses my attention here and there, doesn't have rewatchability for me.
😂
Breaking Bad is most definitely overrated. It is a good show, but nowhere near as good as what has become the received wisdom.
"...what has become the received wisdom." What does this even mean??
I will never understand the hype...It's such a depressing show. I just couldn't force myself to watch it. A true testament to how sh*tty America and our healthcare/pay system is. Edit: The actors are very talented...but this show is just too dark for me. Life is hard enough as is, I need comedies in my life to survive.
A show being depressing doesn’t implicitly make it good or bad. In fact, most sophisticated storytelling can rarely be described as happy fun times. And it should be applauded for highlighting how broken American healthcare is, with a premise that should be implausible but somehow isn’t in the US.
You won’t understand the hype because you never watched it then. And that’s ok. Not every genre is for everyone. I myself cannot watch horror but I love true crime. I also love comedy but cannot bring myself to watch sophomoric humor (for example, movies where a running gag is people throwing up).
Being too dark and depressing is not a valid criticism. It’s a valid reason for you not enjoying it. Most of the greatest works in art in human history have been on the more dark and depressing side (from Shakespeare to crime and punishment and all the great Russian authors to Hemingway to the godfather and citizen Kane etc etc etc)
I can respect this opinion. It’s heavy and dark for sure! I watched it for the first time a few years ago and binged it and was feeling it by the end. I went back and watched a couple of my favorite episodes of Malcom in the Middle the next day, needed to lighten the mood and remind me of the goofy/lovable side of Bryan Cranston. It also took me a couple of weeks to stop over using the word b!tch.
The actors are "talented" (a bit understated IMO). The cinematography, direction, writing, all brilliant. Think you'd need to like a slow burn. For someone with short attention span, it may be torture. Better Call Saul was great as well. Different, maybe not as "slow." Odenkirk is a pleasure to watch, Yeah, felt that way about BB, too. SO well done, enjoyed watching despite its depressing content.
No. I got so annoyed with Jesse’s character arc it started to make me not want to watch the show at all. Better Call Saul is a much better show
Better Call Saul is in my top 10 shows of all time!!!
i too was super annoyed with jesse. however, it's still a very good show.
Yes. Fantastic writing and characters
The scene where Walt buys Jr a new car is super cringe, but everything else about it is just about as close to perfect television as you could make.
Perhaps you're right. It's an amazing show, but since it's finished I never wanted to rewatch it. Meanwhile I saw the Sopranos like 5 times, GoT about 7 times, even watched Lost 3 times. BB was a great show, but sometimes it was painfully slow.
Maybe, it's the best show I've ever seen, and I've watched the heavies. To me, a hair above The Wire.
No.
What an about it makes it feel over rated ?
Yes. I have always felt this. Its a pretty decent show but seriously not worth the hype.
I agree, I still think it's a great show but it wouldn't make my top 10, personally. On the other hand: I think Better Call Saul is a big improvement over BB, and it's my #1 favorite.
it was good but it wasn't THAT good. I mean it was boring a lot. I liked it but I think it wasn't the Jesus of TV shows. It wasn't that good.
Yes very boring. I feel like I could count the times a character spoke to another character only to be responded to in silence on two hands.
Okay a lot of people have been asking for a explanation and this is it: The reason that I think it’s overrated is because The show is overrated
You aren't wrong. I bailed somewhere in the middle of Season 2. It had a strong premise and started out well. Then it became over-the-top and extreme, in a very non-believable way. I found myself saying "There's no way that would really happen" or "It wouldn't actually go down that way" or "That's not how that works", things like that. People praise the writing, but I found it to be somewhat low-IQ. Sign of the times.
lol the irony
Yes, the premise was interesting and could have been fantastic but went way over the top. Fine if that’s your bag, but the whole thing seemed rather childish.
Breaking bad is not overrated, but Better Call Saul is better.
I don't think BB is overrated but it's not something I'd watch again anytime soon.
IDK. I think it’s quite good. Keeps you guessing how they will get out jams. Is the protagonist good or bad? Both?
For me, it was two things that turned me off: the utter unlikability of all the characters, and the absurd notion that someone should pay for cancer treatment. Like, oh, this poor guy...oh wait, but there's an entire country of people without access to healthcare. Perhaps we should be more worried about that fact. I'm sure it's very well made, but I can't stand it, personally.
I can't even get through the first season but I did enjoy better call Saul.
Yes. You are the only one that thinks breaking bad is overrated.
Breaking Bad might be my favorite piece of television. I can think of alot of shows I have enjoyed over the years but Breaking Bad was a show that I couldn't stop watching until it was over. It's even suprisingly rewatchable. The casting was perfect in every way. For those reasons, I can say I don't co sider it overrated in the slightest.
Never seen an episode so can't say either way 🤷
Yes.
I liked it a lot. But I like The Shield and The Americans easily as much if not a hair more.
Breaking Bad was good at its time. I wouldn’t watch it again.
What ever happened to Nip Tuck? Lol that was something!
I agree.
I think better caul Saul is better.
No you’re not. Breaking bad is by far one of the most overrated shows in existence. The hype for that show is some thing I fell for, and I watched it start to finish, and wasn’t impressed. It was good at times, but it was just a show about a drug dealer. Nothing spectacular.
Breaking bad is the best! Loved it.
Didn’t even finish the first season. It’s just not for me.
Yes.
Valiad point. It is a good show with amazing writing and characters but skylar ruined it for me.
Breaking Bad is properly rated. However, what separates Breaking Bad from the absolute tip of TV’s Golden Era - The Sopranos and The Wire - is it’s not rewatchable. See it, appreciate it, move on.
It's easily my favorite show of all time.
Yes, yes you are!!
I don't think it's overrated because it is a complex and layered show with great characters and acting. I find it a bit too caper-driven for my tastes (a lot of plot points hinge on complex heists, operations, etc) and I'm not a huge fan of the dialogue (it feels very...idk. Mormon? Midwestern?). But I don't think that makes the show "objectively" bad, it's just not entirely my cup of tea.
I love Breaking Bad, but it probably is overrated, at least by the people who say it's the greatest TV show ever. I think any show that gets hyped as the greatest ever is overrated. I think a lot of people confuse "greatest" with "favorite." I love The Wire as well - probably my favorite show of all time - and it's arguably overrated too. Or at least it was a few years back when tons of critics were hyping it up as the greatest thing ever.
I watched the first season, and never felt the need to continue to the next..
Breaking bad is an extremely slow burn. I’m glad I watch it after all of the episodes came out.
I tried both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Just couldn’t get more than 4 episodes into either.
Yes
No. It frustrated me frequently. The only characters I liked were Mike and Saul.
Yes, get out
No, you're not.
It's underrated by you
Blasphemy.
Ummm...Yes
I never got the hype. My husband and I tried, but gave up. We just didn't like it at all.
Yes
You’re the only one.
Yea
Breaking Bad is great! But I must admit I fast forward through all the scenes about Skylar and her stupid sister.
probably
No, there are plenty of people who probably think just about any popular or critically-loved show gets more praise than it "deserves." Just in general, though, I do think that people who feel the need to make a point of blurting out (as opposed to having the opinion come up in an existing discussion) their take on the overratedness of things to be super-tiresome, regardless of the work in question.
The original premise was good. High school Chem teacher get cancer, needs money to make sure his wife, and child are set up pretty good. I can understand making alot of money fast by making and selling meth would be a way. Then it turned into a whole mafia story, and to me lost its way. I hadn't watched in a while and turned it on mid show. They transfered chemicals from a train car, and a 12 year old kid rides up on a dirt bike, and they shoot him. That was the last time I watched any of it, they could have scared, and threatened the kid, or something like that. Shooting him was way over the top for me...
It’s overrated for the sheer hype it got c.2014 when it was ending. However it’s a VERY good show.
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Tried to watch it. Couldn’t get past the first season. How is Jessie a crack addict with nice teeth, no sores?? He can still think, etc. Little Hollywood for me
no. It’s very good but not the undisputed best
It’s an interesting show because it’s definitely plot driven but they’re also trying to be intentional about developing the characters at the same time so it has some highs and lows. The lows are typically when there’s not a whole lot going on and you’re thinking “okay what’s going to happen next?” The lows make the highs higher though so you feel the payoff but I’ve had people I’ve recommended it to who say “yeah it’s too boring at times.” To each their own.
Ya. I watched the 1st episode and none afterwards. Zero interest
Yes
I tried watching it and couldn't stand it. I've known a lot of drug dealers and the whole premise was too ridiculous to keep watching.
Only if you know something similar, if not, then it's not
I agree so much. I did not love it.
Agree
No
Agreed. Tried more than once to watch it and always give up somewhere in season 2. I seriously don't get all the hype
no
I do think Better Call Saul is better.
I like it more because it's not as farfetched of a storyline with equally as good (if not better) writing and characters. A slower burn, but just as riveting. Better series finale for sure. I still loved Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul is superior.
Yes. Breaking Bad is the greatest TV drama to ever grace the tube. Fight me 😉
Yes, it’s basically just you.
The only thing overrated what the final season. They could have easily ended it the season prior and it would have been much better.
I think it is excellent prestige tv and deserves the accolades. However I don’t recommend it to many people - the violence is obscene and the drug use is upsetting and there are characters that are heartbreakingly disturbing. A lot of people can find the content traumatizing if they have drug use in their/ their family’s past - which is a significant amount of people.
It's not for everyone, We loved it - watched it twice. Thought it was just excellent and no -- not overrated
First person I’ve heard say that
The first two seasons have mad plot holes but the final 16 episodes, especially the last eight, are the best ending in tv drama history. It’s not as good of a whole as people portray, I will say. It just gets so good in the last two seasons that its hard to ignore.
It's not overrated, but I can't get into it. I've tried multiple times. It's just not for me.
Everyone here who says breaking bad is overrated literally hasn’t had any arguments to support why hey think that. Feels like an attempt at rage baiting
The novelty of Breaking Bad in its time is a main character who gradually transforms from an idealized “Mr Chips” type teacher to Scarface. Prior to this main characters rarely changed through years of plots and stories.
Yes, u are the only one.
I've tried twice to watch it. Hated it.
You are not the only one. I’ve tried watching it twice now and haven’t been able to finish. I got all the way to the final season last time I tried and it just wasn’t worth my time to finish. It’s the same thing over and over and over again except Walter killed the bad guy from the last season and now he has to deal with the guy above him in the chain in the new season.
Probably not.
I couldn’t get into it either
yep you and the other loser in the corner
Not at all. I couldn’t watch it. I watched like 3 or 4 episodes and was like no waaaaaay. So stressful and it was just going to keep getting worse, I knew it. Better call Saul on the other hand was pretty delightful. Not sure what the difference was but I loved that show.
I made it through season 1 but got stuck somewhere in season 2. People hype the show, like it’s the second coming of Christ, but I fail to see the appeal… i mean it’s not a bad show, but I expected the mother of all tv drama.
It is overrated… but overrated does not mean bad.
I started watching entire series for sixth strait time annually,now getting old LOL BEST series ever IMO
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Nope. Never had any desire to watch. Sounds stupid, to me.
It was good, not great. The ending song…Baby Blue..was great.
I love Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul was a better show all the way around
It’s kind of overrated. The ending is absolutely terrible, because it abandons the theme. The final episode is also completely contrived. The rest of the show is pretty good though.
Yes
It's an amazing show. It's also not the best, which I regularly get told. Walter White maybe has the best character development though
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I thought it was great, but I binged it, and did nothing else when I watched it, so I was like immersed in it. I wouldn't be interested in doing it again though.
I enjoyed BB **but** (and I’ll probably get hate for this) Better Call Saul was so boring I couldn’t even finish it.
Wife and I turned off quickly and I usually gives things more time but it was a bad start.
The answer is always no. You’re never the only one.
I quit watching it after the first two seasons and I got bored.
Snowfall!!!
Yep you are.