‘Breaking Bad’ Is Not the Greatest Show Ever … and That’s OK

Daniel Goldblatt

I think “Breaking Bad” is the sixth-greatest TV show ever.

Does that make you mad? Did you just yell at me? Are you wondering what the other five are? Would knowing those five, and if you approved of those five, change how you view my ludicrous opinion?

Those five don’t matter. Being the sixth best show in the history of television is a huge compliment. Any showrunner around would take that compliment, but not many “Breaking Bad” fans would.

That’s because the discussion and debate over “Breaking Bad” and its place in the TV universe has reached almost ridiculous heights — fueled no doubt by the fact that the show’s ascent corresponds neatly with the tsunami of social media-fueled “conversations” about everyone’s favorite TV shows.

We have all come to the universal agreement that “Breaking Bad” is a good show. “Breaking Bad” is so good, 99.6% pure good, it’s as if Heisenberg himself cooked it up.

The only debate left when it comes to “Breaking Bad” is just how good it is and which superlative we use to discuss our feelings for the show.

I say I like “Breaking Bad,” you say you love it.

I say I love “Breaking Bad,” you say you REALLY love it.

Whatever I say about “Breaking Bad,” wherever I rank it, or however I view its place in history, inevitably whoever I am talking to has a superlative greater than mine.

So let me lay it right on the line: I don’t think “Breaking Bad” is as good as everyone else does. I am a dissenter.

When I say that, I am still talking about a show that I love and obsess over. But in a world where everyone has easy access to highly visible platforms to express their every thought, getting angry with someone for not liking one of your favorite shows has been replaced by anger toward those who don’t love that show (particularly when it comes to “Breaking Bad”) as much as you do.

So let’s cut those of us that merely “like” “Breaking Bad” a break. It’s not like I said something as stupid as “‘The Wire’ is only the sixth best TV show ever.”

Because that would simply be the dumbest thing anyone has ever said — ever.


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