Breaking Bad
Breaking Badcelebrated its 15th anniversary on January 20th , 2023 , with the years in between only leaven how well the series has aged . Breaking Badwas created by Vince Gilligan , and has since become one of the most acclaimed TV series of all clip . While the first season get confirming reviews on its initial air dates , the following four received rave reception , leading to the show ’s position as an all - time classic being solidified .
The first episode bare on AMC on January 20th , 2008 , before the fifth and last time of year culminated the show on September 29th , 2013 . The series has since seen two extensions to the narration , El Camino : A Breaking Bad MovieandBetter Call Saul . The former is primarily asequel toBreaking Bad , with the latter serving as both a prequel and subsequence . WithBreaking Badstill lingering in audiences ' thinker long after its initial airwave engagement , it is worth exploring why the series has age so well in the 15 long time since its debut .
Related : How break Bad ’s begin Perfectly Mirrors Better Call Saul ’s End
Breaking Bad’s Themes, Stories & Characters Are Timeless
One of the main reasons for the proven timeless calibre ofBreaking Badis plainly how well - save the show is . From its wide-cut themes , characters , and the tarradiddle intertwine the two , Breaking Badremains the golden measure on how to write tv set . Firstly , the catalyst of the entire series remains as unfortunately present as ever . Walter White was forced into a life of law-breaking due to the bankruptcy of the US healthcare system , dead gear up up the events of the serial publication andWalter White ’s evil turn . This construct persist as timely as ever , with little - to - no change in that respect in the decennium and a one-half sinceBreaking Badbegan .
However , it is the elevation , or more appropriately downfall , of Walter through this accelerator that opens the doorway toBreaking Bad’swider themes and one of TV story ’s most fascinating fictitious character . From Walter ’s dedication to providing for his family turn into an ever - expanding self to the dark depths the character live on to , Breaking Badfeatures one of the comfortably - written protagonists in media history . What setsBreaking Badapart though , is Walter ’s concurrent enmity . Oftentimes , the show masterfully plays the audience by nominate viewers steady down for Walt while he is invest execrable act of wildness and even evil that are all like an expert portray by Bryan Cranston in an all - time career execution .
That is not to mention other persona such asAaron Paul ’s Jesse Pinkman , who is a testament to one ofBreaking Bad’smost timeless composition that stands in gross contrast to the series ' principal character and even its deed , redemption . Through Jesse ’s grapheme , and Paul ’s fantastical co - performance alongside Cranston , Gilligan and his team often search the idea that no one is beyond ego - improvement . With so many crime show in recent memory regularly depict felon as one - dimensional , unredeemable baddie , split up Bad’sdedication to the humanization of these character tolerate the test of metre .
All of this only benefit every other quality and the engrossing story of the show . From naturalistic portrayal of the effects ofWalt ’s actions through his family memberslike Skylar and Walter Jr. to the grand , sympathetic courageousness of Dean Norris ' Hank Schrader , every face ofBreaking Bad’scharacters and their respective stories work seamlessly with one another . This is all without mentioning role like Bob Odenkirk ’s Saul Goodman and Jonathan Banks ' Mike Ehrmentraut who premise one of TV ’s very best villains , Gustavo Fring ( Giancarlo Esposito ) . This sempiternal list just kick the bucket to highlightBreaking Bad’strue lineament , and how all these stories and characters combine to help the show stand the trial of time .
El Camino & Better Call Saul Mean Breaking Bad Never REALLY Went Away
DespiteBreaking Badending its five - season run in September 2013 , the two aforementioned spin - off projects keep the series relevant in popular fandom . Through bothEl CaminoandBetter Call Saul , Breaking Bad’sstory was countenance to continue retroactively in ways that both expanded upon and benefited the original show . While it is mostly agreed thatBreaking Bad’sseries finale,“Felina,“ended the series on an highly cheering bill , one of the larger questions that remained was what bechance to Jesse Pinkman .
ThroughEl Camino , writer - director Vince Gilligan research this question . With Jesse Pinkman accept center field level in the sequel , alongsideBreaking Badregulars linked to Jesse ’s overarching story such as Jesse Plemons ' Todd , Krysten Ritter ’s Jane Margolis , and Charles Baker and Matt Jones as Skinny Pete and Badger Mayhew severally , El Caminopaved the way forBreaking Badto have a mini - revitalisation in 2019 . In summation to cameo appearances from Jonathan Banks and Bryan Cranston as Mike and Walter which truly solidified the moving-picture show ’s sequel status and made the original show more relevant than ever .
Theprequel in question , Better Call Saul , supply even more context to the overallBreaking Baduniverse . Better Call Saulwas as evenly hail as its sequel series , often being deliberate a worthy successor and in some ways even surpassingBreaking Bad . ThroughBetter Call Saul’sdistinctive timeline , which spans both twelvemonth before and yr after the original show , the twist - off only benefits the original story . Not only that , butBetter Call Saulstands on its own by craft evenly compelling characters and storylines , so that it stands high next toBreaking Badas two of the secure modern good example of character television .
Better Call Saul & El Camino Make Breaking Bad Better
As acclaimed asBreaking Badwas , it is always risky to proceed a story after giving audiences a rather definitive ending . Certainly , there have been successful telecasting spinoff and lengthiness in the past , but there are even more examples of endeavour to keep on on a franchise only to sully the name of the original in the procedure . Breaking Badis a rare example of a peachy show that is made even good by its spinoffs . Part of that reason was the Jehovah understanding what audience need to see more of while also determining what they did n’t need to see more of .
In bothBetter Call SaulandEl Camino , the fib of Walter White is done and they do n’t feel the need to add anything more to it , providing only the slight new info that does n’t affect that character reference ’s legacy but allows these new write up to continue on . Walt cameo inBetter Call SaulandEl Camino , but they are in a way of life that strengthens the main fictitious character of the spinoff . El Caminofeatures a scene that communicate that Jesse always had the potential to leave the criminal aliveness behind whileBetter Call Saulshows that Saul , for all his faults , is merely not as vicious as Walt .
These nice small speck do n’t change the account ofBreaking Badbut simply use its paper to inform these new stories . However , the real cause these spinoffs betterBreaking Badis because of how good they are . Far from being the misguided embarrassment they could have been , Better Call SaulandEl Caminoremind fans of what was so groovy aboutBreaking Badin the first stead with its sharp and intelligent writing , intense set pieces , and complex characters . The fact that they both work at deliver these element without simply repeating the same beats ofBreaking Badmakes it a brainy trilogy of stories within this universe that can be enjoyed together .
Breaking Bad’s Rewatch Value Makes It Immortal
One of the other vital element ofBreaking Badthat mean it has get on exceptionally well is its rewatch note value . Firstly , through ending in a way that was acclaimed by both critics and sports fan alike , Breaking Badis not hurt upon a rewatch . This issue was found with other pop TV shows such asGame of Thrones , which has since all but vanish from general television discourse due to its less - than - satisfying ending . Breaking Badthough has hang on and is still being talk about today due to the rewatchable nature of its riveting story and fantastic ending .
These many rewatches that audiences indulge in also discover the outstanding care to detail found in every fiber ofBreaking Bad . From its book , lineament , stories , and endearing motif , the show is still being dissected and canvass to this day , 15 twelvemonth after its initial release . New details are incessantly being feel , and newfangled theories regularly come on . This exemplifies just how wellBreaking Badwas made , through young aspects being found long after its release that help it stand the test of time .
Breaking Bad’s Darker Themes Are Well Handled
Another thing that aidsBreaking Bad ’s -andBetter Call Saul’s / El Camino’s - longevity is how its various dark themes are handled . Oftentimes , some acclaimed telly shows as well - received asBreaking Badbegin to show their age in the years or decades after acquittance . With modern society ’s changes in views on topics concerning sex , minority delegacy , and sexuality to name but a few , most " older " ' TV serial publication are pick apart for face they could have handled otherwise or improved upon in retrospect .
WithBreaking Badthough , these criticisms seldom come out . A show focus on an vain valet de chambre ’s down spiral into the criminal infernal region could have very easily go to many elements that call on distasteful after a few year . However , while there are plenty of moments inBreaking Badthat leave a sorry taste in the mouth , mostly due toBreaking Bad’sHeisenberg , they were largely crafted to elicit this reaction rather than being a merchandise of something that is poorly palm due to the metre in which it was made . All of these aspects culminate inBreaking Badbeing counted among idiot box ’s very estimable travail , which still stands in that attentiveness 15 class by and by .
