Breaking Badis one of the most successful and popular TV shows ever made. There are plenty of hit shows — new ones premiere every single year — butthe praise forBreaking Badwas something else. It washailed as the greatest TV show ever made, and it remains hugely popular to this day.
The acclaim forBreaking Badis matched only by all-time greats likeThe WireandThe Sopranos, butBreaking Badis even more popular with audiences. How did this darkly comic little show about a meth-cooking nerd become one of the biggest TV hits of all time?
Critics Were Always Kind To The Show
Although it struggled to reach viewers in the beginning,Breaking Badwas widely praised by critics from the start.The first season has a “fresh” Rotten Tomatoes score of 86%, with reviews praising Bryan Cranston’s performance, the show’s pitch-black humor, and the gripping momentum of the plot.
The pilot episode received four Emmy nominations. Vince Gilligan was nominated for directing it and John Toll was nominated for shooting it, while Cranston won Outstanding Actor and Lynne Willingham won Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing. If the very first episode warrants that kind of awards attention, then the series is probably worth checking out.
One mixed review described it as Weeds directed by the Coen brothers (which, frankly, sounds like a compliment).
The reviews weren’t universally positive — one mixed review described it asWeedsdirected by the Coen brothers (which, frankly, sounds like a compliment) — but there were much more positive critical reactions than negative.It was only a matter of time before audiences caught onto these reviewsand gave the show a chance.
A High School Chemistry Teacher Becomes A Meth Kingpin?
If a show can be summed up with an intriguing one-sentence elevator pitch that makes it sound like nothing else on TV, then word-of-mouth will spread and more people will find it.Orphan Blackopens with a woman witnessing the death of someone who looks exactly like her — that’s a unique hook.
The umpteenth show about cops solving cases in a precinct or lawyers defending clients at a law firm probably won’t grab anyone’s attention. But a show about a high school chemistry teacher who’s diagnosed with cancer and becomes a meth cook to pay his medical bills will definitely turn some heads.
If you told that logline to a co-worker by the water cooler (remember, this was 2008), then they’d at least be interested enough to look into it.
If you told that logline to a co-worker by the water cooler (remember, this was 2008), then they’d at least be interested enough to look into it. Not everyone who was intrigued by that premise would stick with the series — especially given how violent it is — butthat unique, well-executed premise went a long way toward building an audience.
It Was Tailor-Made For The Binge-Watching Experience
WhenBreaking Badended and swept the Emmys, Gilligan explained that the series might’ve been canceled after its second season if not for the rise of streaming. In a way,Netflix savedBreaking Badfrom an early grave. The show wasn’t getting enough viewers on its traditional broadcast home of AMC, so it almost got the axe.
Netflix launched its streaming service in 2007.
But when video-on-demand services became popular andBreaking Badstarted streaming on Netflix, it reached a much wider audience.Breaking Badis a slow burn, and its serialized narrative requires audiences to watch every single episode in order. Both of these things hurt it on traditional TV, where audiences had to tune in at a specific time and only got one episode a week.
But it was perfect for the streaming model.Breaking Bad’s serialized story of gradual change was tailor-made for the binge-watching experience (before binge-watching was even a thing). Streaming on Netflix wasa watershed moment inBreaking Bad’s popularity. It went from an obscure little cult show to a global smash hit.
One of the reasonsBreaking Badbecame so popular, and why it endures as a classic to this day, is that it never had a bad season or a dip in quality. Shows likeThe SimpsonsandThe Walking Deadlost viewers over time, because they peaked and then kept going with increasingly weak seasons.
Butevery season ofBreaking Badwas better than the last, soevery season picked up new viewers and continued the spread of positive word-of-mouth. Each season raised the stakes and deepened the character development. EvenBreaking Bad’s worst-rated episode, “Fly,”is a profound, philosophical masterpiece.
Vince Gilligan Used Long-Form Storytelling To Chronicle A Character’s Change
One of the things that madeBreaking Badso noteworthy is that it revolutionized television. It wasn’t just a really well-made, really well-acted, and really well-written TV show (which would be more than enough to earn it a sizable fan base); it actually changed the way TV shows work.
UntilBreaking Badcame along, television was driven by maintaining a status quo. It maintained the same premise and kept the same characters in the same place for as many episodes as possible. ButGilligan realized that this long-form medium was the perfect vehicle for a story about change.
Gilligan famously set out to turn Mr. Chips into Scarface.
Gilligan famously set out to turn Mr. Chips into Scarface. He started out with a kind, affable, mild-mannered teacher, andover the course of five seasons, he would turn him into a cold-blooded monsterwho would sell his partner into slavery and come at his family with a knife.
2Bryan Cranston Gave One Of The All-Time Great Performances
When he was cast inBreaking Bad, Cranston was mainly known as Hal fromMalcolm in the Middle. And in the earlyepisodes ofBreaking Bad, he gave a similar turn as a similar dorky dad. But as the series went on, and Walt let his true evil nature show, Cranston revealed the full extent of his acting abilities.
Bryan Cranston won four Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor for his performance inBreaking Bad.
Walt’s transformation from Mr. Chips into Scarface is fully believable, and it’s all thanks to Cranston’s incredible performance. He sold every emotion, every dark turn, and every cold stare.Cranston’s work inBreaking Badisone of the finest performances given by any actor across any medium in the history of the craft— that’s not hyperbole; he’s just that good.
A really impressive performance is always going to get people talking. Audiences were drawn toThe Sopranosbecause of James Gandolfini’s sympathetic portrayal of a ruthless mob boss. They were drawn toMad Menbecause of Jon Hamm’s performance as a suave, charismatic ad executive haunted by a dark past.
It’s Rare That A Serialized Drama Like This Has A Satisfying Ending
The popularity of a hit show can come grinding to a halt if it has a disappointing ending.Game of Throneswas the most beloved show on television, but its reputation took a nosedive after its underwhelming finale. The praise dried up forLost,Dexter, andHow I Met Your Motherafter their endings disappointed audiences.
For a TV show to have lasting popularity that extends beyond its run, it needs to have a satisfying ending.That’s especially true for a show whose premise is inherently designed around the build-up to a climactic payoff, likeLost’s mysteries,How I Met Your Mother’s protracted love story, and, indeed,Breaking Bad’s double-life crime saga.
But against all odds,Breaking Badmanaged to stick the landing with its series finale. “Felina” has been hailed as one of the greatest final episodes in television history. It provides all the closure that fans could ask for (except revealing Huell’s fate) andit brings Walt’s story to a suitably bittersweet conclusion.
The dissatisfying endings ofGame of ThronesandHow I Met Your Motherhurt the shows’ recommendability, because you’re just setting people up for disappointment. But the perfect ending ofBreaking Badmade it even easier to recommend, so its popularity has only grown since it ended.
Breaking Bad
Cast
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
