The Breaking Bad Effect
ritch
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Yeah I know, another BB thread but I just wanted to discuss a phenomena that seems to have developed since the series finished. Its basically continually comparing any past or new series' to Breaking bad and gushing about how much better BB is. Now don't get me wrong, I am a massive fan of BB, I may even have mentioned somewhere how much better the finale was than Dexter's but this trend seems to have reached new heights.
Damon Lindelof has been receiving hate mail on twitter stating that he messed up Lost and Breaking Bad is far superior etc, forgetting the fact that the majority of Lost fans were happy with the ending. Then I saw an article this morning on the daily mail basically saying Homeland should quit because BB was just so good it pales in comparison. I must have heard this about nearly every other show going, that they should basically just give up and worship at the alter of Breaking Bad.
The really pathetic thing about this is that most of the people saying that have only just got into Breaking Bad, they forget that the show has been running 5 odd years and took a few seasons to get going. They also just seem to think the finale of BB was perfect and nothing else compares. I agree it was great but others do compare. The Shield for instance, I thought that finale was more stirring and disturbing, BB really went the safe route in many ways, there was no death we were really unhappy with in the final ep? Again, I did love the BB finale but I don't thing all other shows, past and present should be deleted from existence because Breaking Bad has just showed everyone how it is done.
I guess because it has only just finished the "in" thing is to say Breaking Bad is the best series ever and nothing else matters, don't even bother giving new shows a chance. It is one of the best ever, no doubt about that, and I did love it, but why is it so necessary to criticise everything else, why not just accept what it is and appreciate other stuff? Why is everything else rubbish, and new shows going to be rubbish so might as well pull them off air?
Oh dear this has turned into a bit of a rant.
Damon Lindelof has been receiving hate mail on twitter stating that he messed up Lost and Breaking Bad is far superior etc, forgetting the fact that the majority of Lost fans were happy with the ending. Then I saw an article this morning on the daily mail basically saying Homeland should quit because BB was just so good it pales in comparison. I must have heard this about nearly every other show going, that they should basically just give up and worship at the alter of Breaking Bad.
The really pathetic thing about this is that most of the people saying that have only just got into Breaking Bad, they forget that the show has been running 5 odd years and took a few seasons to get going. They also just seem to think the finale of BB was perfect and nothing else compares. I agree it was great but others do compare. The Shield for instance, I thought that finale was more stirring and disturbing, BB really went the safe route in many ways, there was no death we were really unhappy with in the final ep? Again, I did love the BB finale but I don't thing all other shows, past and present should be deleted from existence because Breaking Bad has just showed everyone how it is done.
I guess because it has only just finished the "in" thing is to say Breaking Bad is the best series ever and nothing else matters, don't even bother giving new shows a chance. It is one of the best ever, no doubt about that, and I did love it, but why is it so necessary to criticise everything else, why not just accept what it is and appreciate other stuff? Why is everything else rubbish, and new shows going to be rubbish so might as well pull them off air?
Oh dear this has turned into a bit of a rant.
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Although I get your point about comparisons, it is very rare for any show to have a good finale. Many shows get cancelled abruptly, and many of those that don't outlast their welcome. Dexter/Lost are the rule, not the exceptions.
Magic ****ing heaven for plane crash surviviors!!
How about answering the questions of all the time travel and shit?
At least Breaking Bad wrapped everything up.
What is very unusual about BB is that it got more popular as the series developed - the hype of which drove demand for boxsets and Netflix viewings as people rushed to catch up. Almost all other TV shows start with a big audience and then lose viewers over time until cancellation comes. Not many shows get the chance to go out at the peak of their popularity.
It's a model which makes a lot of sense both financially and creatively: start quietly, don't worry about early ratings and then build the show over time. It just takes a lot of faith from the network though which is why only the likes of AMC and HBO can really get away with it.
I wouldn't be so quick to praise AMC, they pretty much had to be persuaded to keep the show after it's 4th season because initially they didn't want to renew it for a full season, there was even talk of Sony shopping the show around to other networks for season 5. And let's not forget how they allegedly cut the budgets for all of their other shows (including The Walking Dead, which would become their highest rated show) to support Mad Men.
In somewhat of a tangent I'd have to say that I prefer Homeland and Dexter to Breaking Bad. They clicked immediately, whereas it took a while (6 or 7 episodes) for BB to get going and by that point it had lost me, and I've not really been bothered to watch the rest...
Lindelof got his bashing all year after that finale so to bring up now is very childish. Personally also I think he deserved a bit of a bashing at the time for the heaven stuff as mentioned, but to keep bringing it up, there nothing that can be done so why keep punishing the guy lol, the series was still great and the finale did wrap up a lot more than people think, but after BB it is now writen it off.
Homeland is still going strong but its being written off before the 3rd season has begun! I'm sure they have enough ideas to keep it going for at least another season.
I agree that BB had a great formula but as someone mentioned, it wasn't plain sailing and probably not completely planned that way, it nearly got taken off air. so getting that balance is near impossible if you want to stay on TV. BB is very rare and it pretty amazing but it actually does it a disservice to pan everything else, its like praising a dead legend for his myth rather than the actual talent they had, jumping on a bandwagon of other peoples opinions.
BUT, I can remember feeling like this after The Sopranos finished, then I discovered The Wire and Breaking Bad which 'cured' me. It's hard to imagine now but I'm sure there will be something else to love after Breaking Bad, I just need to be patient. The bar has been set pretty high...
that's pretty understandable, when you sink a load of time and commitment into a series its difficult imagining watching anything else. I felt that way about The Shield, Battlestar, Lost and The Wire, and I do feel that way about BB now, maybe more than before. But there is something about BB that makes people want to discredit everything else, I'm wondering why that is and I think it is down to the satisfying finale. As pointed out, it is rare to have a decent finish so it does prompt people to say "that's how you do it".
It will be a while before another series like the ones mentioned above, I still think homeland has potential, if they only do one or two more seasons.
I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing if people compare it to other shows, because BB is "how you do it"!! Our expectations are higher now, and it's up to the writers of other shows to live up to them. There's nothing wrong with viewers expecting a certain standard.
Hate mail? Seriously some people need to get a grip on reality.
yeah but other series has also done it right as well, my point is people jump on the band wagon and pan everything else. comparisons are also difficult with different subject matters.
Lost for example was a totally different theme with fantasy elements, finding an end to that was never going to be easy, they would never have found a finiah that satisfied everyone, it was almost too ambitious for its own good. so comparing Lost and BB finishes is almost unfair, ending Lost was a far more difficult task, I guess you could blame them for writing themselves into a corner. they nearly pulled the Lost ending off though, if they just went away from the religion stuff I would have been sold as all the characters lose ends were addressed even if the island storyline wasn't to some degree.
There is nothing wrong with viewers expecting certain standards but these have been met before, some people act like BB was the first great series. It might arguably be the first great series that was solid from back to front, but that doesn't mean it was the only great series. I think people will be a lot less forgiving as time goes on, and I guess that is a good thing.
this is the attitude I am talking about. people hate mailing and almost gloating at how much better BB is that Lost etc, then tweeting this to the creator! For one its just an opinion, its also a bit pathetic. I guess its not really worth getting annoyed about, when it all dies down these bandwagon jumpers will disappear
LOL he sounds like a true Breaking Bad fan! yeah its totally understandable to love a show, especially if it resonates with you in some way, you just cant imagine anything else hitting the mark. but i think there is a difference between that and just slating everything else in a hatefull way.
I think you are right, counselling might be needed, maybe a fast from watching any BB episodes for six months and slowly weening onto something else, good luck
I don't think its been over rated in general terms, it was finally given the attention it deserved in the last few seasons. there a reason people have been going nuts over this final season, it is a great series and people just realised what they were seeing. Soem just took it too far. I agree that it has overshadowed other great shows.
I kind of agree on the Shield finale as well, this was another show that ended well, so there is another one out there! The only reason I put the Shield slightly above as a finish is the fact that it was unapologetic and shocking beyond belief, more real and gritty. BB was pretty safe.
<Possible Spolier for Shield and BB>
Here again I couldn't say what show was better between Shield and Breaking Bad, they are both about corruption of the soul, and the slow deep decent into being the bad guy. Does there always have to be a better?
I actually thought the first 2 seasons were the best , and then the last season was really good too .
I think with Damon Lindeloff - he really wanted to be a fanboy darling because he's very much a fanboy himself , but Lost really went in the shitter once they introduced purgatory and did that scmaltzy-sentimental cast-reunion in God's waiting room .
Force him to watch something equally good, but perhaps slightly different. The WGA's recent list of best written shows puts The Sopranos first, Seinfeld second and Mad Men in seventh (Breaking Bad doesn't appear until no. 13)
just started to watch under the dome, bates motel and i am enjoying them.
I'm sorry, but Lost wasn't a great TV show, not even close to one. And that's not because I'm comparing it to Breaking Bad, I just never rated it.
I'm not sure what your so annoyed about tbh. Personally I'm glad people are expecting more form TV now, thanks to shows like Breaking Bad. It can only be a good thing for TV and us, the viewers.
thats an opinion though, Lost is widely recognised as a great series. Thats like me saying I dotn rate BB, if I didnt happen to like it I would still have to regognise it is a great show, not just say its rubbish becasue I dont like it. My problem is with people that have a knee jerk reaction to hating all other shows now BB has finished. I see your point about the positive effect, that writers are encouraged to write great stuff like BB, but its also annoying that some people wont give anything else a chance or recognise past great shows. this is through talking to people at work and reading articles etc. i think that brick wall opinion will die down in time though
But I've been watching Orphan Black this week and haven't compared it to BB - I don't see the point, I might compare BB against a new show that is similar maybe as a review as people do on here but I do think that people rating everything against BB are 1) setting themselves up to rarely enjoy a show again and 2) are just jumping on the bandwagon and seen to be part of the 'cool gang' as it were.
BB was excellent, and it will be rewatched and it will be praised for a long time - but these people need to move on, loads of new stuff out there. If you live in the past, you'll be unhappy missing the present
And that's all it was, a good series, among many others. Nothing more, nothing less.
I wouldn't put Lost in that group by the way. Started off fantastically but it needed an end date set in stone from the beginning. The middle seasons were average filler as a result.