On January 20, 2008, AMC debuted Vince Gilligan’s Neo-Western crime drama, and little did anybody know, it was historical past in the making. Breaking Bad took the idea of a heroic protagonist and swapped him out for a newfound antihero like by no means earlier than. The collection took comedic actor Bryan Cranston and had him embody the character of Walter White, an over-qualified, dispirited high-school chemistry trainer combating a current prognosis of stage-three lung most cancers. To maintain his household afloat financially earlier than he dies, Walter breaks dangerous, turning to a lifetime of crime and partnering with a former pupil, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to provide and distribute methamphetamine. Chronicling Walter’s ethical downfall and rise right into a drug kingpin, Breaking Bad cooked up the recipe to develop into the biggest drama of all time.
As is custom in the leisure trade, once someone finds great success, everyone else tries to capitalize on it. During the present’s run in addition to after its finish, many exhibits tried to be the subsequent Breaking Bad, however did anybody succeed? We’re going to debate 10 TV collection that borrowed themes, ideas, and even characters from different collection in the hopes of capturing lightning in a bottle once more. From hits that cast their very own id to a well-regarded spin-off, these exhibits will endlessly be in comparison with Breaking Bad.
1
‘Animal Kingdom’ (2016–2022)
Being a dysfunctional household has its downsides, however while you’re engaged in a high-operating crime household, dysfunction might be the downfall. Chronicling the Cody household, Animal Kingdom is a gritty crime drama following 17-year-old Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole), who strikes in together with his estranged, prison relations in Southern California after his mom’s overdose. Led by the ruthless matriarch, Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin), the household runs a harmful, high-stakes prison enterprise, forcing J to undertake their lifetime of theft and violence to outlive. As J should resolve whether or not to affix the household enterprise, he witnesses Smurf’s manipulation of her personal kin — adopted son and chief of the household, Baz (Scott Speedman), mentally unstable Pope (Shawn Hatosy), unpredictable Craig (Ben Robson), and unstable Deran (Jake Weary). Based on a 2010 Australian movie impressed by the real-life Pettingill household gangland crimes in Melbourne throughout the Nineteen Eighties and ’90s, the TNT collection’ six-season run was a darkish thriller that explored loyalty, energy, and survival inside a household and the broader group.
A robust contender as a successor to Breaking Bad, Animal Kingdom’s depiction of moral decay and gritty atmosphere mirrored Gilligan’s masterpiece. Smurf, like Walker, had an identical anti-hero aura as the manipulative head of the household. The solely distinction was that she was out in the open along with her crimes, whereas Walter stored his below wraps so long as he may. Meanwhile, it’s J who’s pressured into his personal breaking dangerous second as he transforms from an outsider right into a ruthless, calculating chief. From Barkin to Cole, Animal Kingdom was crammed with dominating performances. Why didn’t Animal Kingdom attain the identical peak as Breaking Bad? Probably the lack of hype as a TNT unique.
2
‘Barry’ (2018–2023)
Many comedians noticed the success Cranston achieved and sought out an identical trajectory. Former Saturday Night Live star Bill Hader discovered his second on the HBO collection Barry. Created by Alec Berg and Hader, the tragicomedy-crime collection facilities on Barry Berkman, a depressed, low-level hitman who joins an appearing class whereas looking a goal. Eager to depart his previous behind, Barry begins to query his path as he navigates new relationships whereas coping with his prison associates and manipulative handler, Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root). Through 4 seasons, Barry kicked off as a darkish comedy earlier than shifting gears, evolving right into a psychological tragedy.
Eventually, Barry’s onerous U-turn, turning into the anti-Breaking Bad. The titular character had a reverse breaking dangerous. In a manner, Barry’s eagerness to guide an anti-anti-hero life-style created a “breaking good” trajectory. Regardless, the present’s tone matched that of Breaking Bad and the mission of harm management. If there’s one factor Barry boasted, it was its good supporting ensemble. From Henry Winkler as the egotistical appearing coach Gene Cousineau to Anthony Carrigan as the well mannered Chechen mobster NoHo Hank, the roster of characters formed the present’s universe. A essential success, Barry matched the high-stakes drama and focuses on criminal life with a barely darkish comedic strategy. Though Hader has admitted Gilligan’s series inspired him, at the finish of the day, they each lived in their very own identities.
3
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)
Perhaps this one is a bit apparent, because it’s actually a spin-off of Breaking Bad, however nonetheless, Better Call Saul hoped to experience the success of its predecessor to showcase one other iconic character’s breaking dangerous second. Serving as a prequel collection set throughout and after the occasions of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is the origin story of Saul Goodman, initially often known as Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). The collection chronicles the ethical decline of the small-time lawyer as he transforms into the corrupt prison protection lawyer launched in the unique collection. Set in Albuquerque, Better Call Saul explores Jimmy’s struggles, his relationship with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), and the parallel rise of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) in the prison underworld.
A splendidly complicated character exploration, the collection captured the identical tone of a narrative a couple of man attempting to do good, solely to show dangerous. Jimmy’s ethical decline, figuring out his final end result, is an addictive watch as a result of Odenkirk’s nuanced exploration of the character makes you suppose one thing will transfer the goalposts. The tragic transformation turns into a stronger focus in comparison with the high-stakes prison enterprise round him. Unlike Walter, Jimmy is offered as a calculated particular person who rationalizes his conman persona. With a extra heartbreaking narrative, Better Call Saul elicits better empathy for Jimmy and different characters, particularly Kim. Poor, poor Kim. Better Call Saul refined the gruffness of the original series while finding its own identity. Though some could name them equals, it’s onerous to neglect your first.
4
‘Bloodline’ (2015–2017)
As the world of streaming took off, Netflix started to swing for the fences with dangerous ideas. One such danger was the psychological thriller Bloodline. Created by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, the three-season collection adopted the Rayburns, a revered Florida Keys household whose darkish previous and hidden secrets and techniques resurface when the household’s black sheep, Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), returns residence. The Rayburn siblings, John (Kyle Chandler), Meg (Linda Cardellini), and Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz), and their dad and mom, Sally and Robert (Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard), are pressured into determined acts to guard their status, resulting in escalating guilt and homicide. With themes of household dysfunction, trauma, and betrayal, Bloodline is a tense character-centric drama that watches the breakdown of household loyalty in actual time.
Like Breaking Bad, Bloodline facilities on good people who find themselves pressured to think about doing very dangerous issues. On the floor, the Rayburns seem seemingly regular, however the deeper the story goes, the additional the ethical ambiguity reaches. Even with a fantastically sunny backdrop of the Florida Keys, the ambiance is something however gentle. The darkish cloud over the household turns into a magnetic pull into crime. Bloodline is unafraid to push John towards more and more darkish, unethical, and violent selections in hopes of defending the Rayburn household. Bloodline brilliantly captures lingering family trauma and how it can remain forever. When people are prepared to go to nice lengths to maintain secrets and techniques buried, it exposes some darkish traits. That’s why Bloodline became a psychological thriller over a melodramatic family soap. Not simply because there was a ghost-like presence that carried by means of the closing two seasons, Bloodline was a hauntingly gripping collection. In the finish, it is guilt that will get you.
5
‘Claws’ (2017–2022)
Just as a result of Dean Norris, greatest identified for his position as Hank Schrader, joined the solid is not the sole purpose why Claws tried to be the subsequent Breaking Bad. But it definitely checks a field! Created by Eliot Laurence for TNT, Claws follows 5 various manicurists — Desna Simms (Niecy Nash), Polly Marks (Carrie Preston), Annalise “Quiet Ann” Zayas (Judy Reyes), Virginia Loc (Karrueche Tran), and Jennifer Husser (Jenn Lyon) — at the Nail Artisans salon in Manatee County, Florida who flip to cash laundering for the Dixie Mafia to flee poverty. As Desna and the girls have interaction in a treacherous rise in the crime world, they need to handle the salon, take care of poisonous males, and navigate chaotic conditions to maintain themselves alive. A gritty darkish comedy set in opposition to the vivid backdrop of Florida, Claws brings glamour to high-stakes crime.
Claws takes the idea of people main mundane lives and forces them right into a darkish world for self-preservation. They are bizarre people who find themselves in over their heads, and that is the place the comedy ensues. Yet, the deeper they go and the extra success they’ve climbing the crime ladder, the extra their breaking-bad second now not appears an act of desperation however a need for management. Unlike Albuquerque, South Florida serves as a campy backdrop that lightens the darker themes. Now, again to Norris. He takes on the position of a villain as Clay “Uncle Daddy” Husser, the ruthless head of the Husser crime household. He goes down an identical street to guard his household, going to nice lengths to rebuild the Husser title by any means. A colourful crime drama with a female-centric ensemble, Claws is an underappreciated collection that’s enjoyable to look at again as we speak.
6
‘Fargo’ (2014–2024)
The timeline of occasions places Ethan and Joel Coen‘s masterful film, Fargo, manner earlier than the debut of Gilligan’s Breaking Bad, however the tv anthology collection got here after Breaking Bad‘s run. Now that that is out of the manner, it is time to focus on the good Fargo. Using the world and themes present in the 1996 movie as a jumping-off level, the Noah Hawley-created collection brings 5 distinctive tales to life, chronicling weird, violent murders and prison schemes in the American Midwest. Each installment follows a brand new case wherein bizarre folks fall into crime, greed, and deception as they’re tailed by well mannered but environment friendly native police whereas being hunted by the ruthless mafia dominating the Midwest. With a central thematic exploration of the distinction between good and evil, Fargo unites darkish humor, irony, and philosophical undertones by means of moments of intense violence.
Despite every season being self-contained, Fargo maintains a way of universality throughout its tales, linking minor moments into the broader image. Even with miscommunications, crossed paths, and surprising hijinks that add to the drops of humor, Fargo‘s motion is darkish. Again, it is bizarre people doing what it takes to make it out alive. Like Breaking Bad, Hawley’s prestigious storytelling permits Fargo to face out. By presenting a number of angles of ethical dilemmas, Fargo permits these dire penalties to simmer.
Fargo was celebrated for its revolving door of sensational stars. Some of the characters who found themselves in Walter White-like situations included Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), a henpecked life insurance coverage salesman who meets hitman Loren Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton); Peggy and Ed Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons), who attempt to cowl up the homicide of a neighborhood crime household scion; brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy (each performed by Ewan McGregor), whose sibling rivalry spirals right into a spree of homicide; Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley), a deceptively cheerful nurse turned angel of mercy; and Dot Lyon (Juno Temple), a seemingly bizarre Midwest housewife whose mysterious previous comes again to hang-out her. And sure, casting connections are current: Odenkirk performs the naive police chief, Bill Oswalt, in Season 1, with Plemons in a number one position in Season 2. With extraordinary cinematic high quality, Fargo is one among the greatest collection of the twenty first century.
7
‘Good Girls’ (2018–2021)
Good Girls doesn’t get in comparison with Breaking Bad merely due to its related titular alliteration — it is usually the premise of an surprising trio discovering themselves in a darkish, life-changing state of affairs. Created by Jenna Bans, Good Girls follows three suburban Michigan moms — Beth Boland (Christina Hendricks), Ruby Hill (Retta), and Annie Marks (Mae Whitman) — who, going through determined monetary straights, rob a neighborhood grocery retailer, solely to develop into entangled in a high-stakes world of crime, cash laundering, and a harmful gang chief, Rio (Manny Montana), all whereas attempting to keep up a semblance of their bizarre lives. Though they every have a secret and private battle they’re making an attempt to beat, Good Girls is all about the highs of the heist.
Good Girls brings the suburban life-style that Breaking Bad explored and additional develops the narrative of what is taking place beneath the floor. Beth, Ruby, and Annie are unlikely people to be caught up in these antics, but determined occasions name for determined measures. Good Girls showcases the slippery slope of how one crime necessitates one other, in addition to how the thrill of the crime retains the rush going. Perhaps being a community collection, Good Girls was restrained. Had it run on a streamer, Good Girls may have gone deeper into the darkness.
8
‘Griselda’ (2024)
A far cry from her run on Modern Family, Sofía Vergara goes to the darkish aspect to play Griselda Blanco, a outstanding Colombian drug lord in the cocaine-based drug commerce and underworld of Miami, Florida. Known as the “Godmother of Cocaine,” Griselda is a based-on-a-true-story that depicts her pursuit of energy, the paranoia and betrayal ensuing from her actions, and the final private value of her crimes. Told by means of six episodes on Netflix, the miniseries leaves no stone unturned, tackling Griselda’s rise, fall, and tragic penalties. Griselda serves as a cautionary story about the damaging nature of energy.
Created by the crew behind Narcos, Griselda mirrored the gritty, operatic, and morally ambiguous storytelling that made Breaking Bad a groundbreaking and defining crime drama. Unlike Walter, Griselda is depicted as ruthless from the begin. Yet, she was a queenpin anti-heroine whose drastic transformation from weak, determined mom to drug lord is pushed by ego and absolute corruption. Vergara presents a riveting efficiency as the titular character. Having been a comedic mainstay in popular culture because of her time on Modern Family, she tapped into the darkish aspect, exposing a mixture of terror and cold-hearted ambition inside the vulnerability. Being a miniseries, the pacing was a lot sooner, but it surely follows the identical formulation as a prestigious crime drama.
9
‘Ozark’ (2017–2022)
The unique draw to Breaking Bad was its premise and the actor who can be in the central position. Cranston, a revered comedian actor, taking over a darkish character in a twisted state of affairs, was interesting. So Netflix tried to make use of the identical formulation with Ozark. Here, it was the revered comedian actor Jason Bateman enjoying a household man caught up in a money-laundering scheme. Nearly reaching the peak of Breaking Bad, the Bill Dubuque–Mark Williams-created collection’ success rested on its capability to subvert expectations by means of a gripping story with masterful character growth. The collection follows Marty Byrde (Bateman), a monetary advisor, who strikes his household from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks to launder $500 million for a drug cartel, navigating harmful native criminals. Highlighting a darkish street to survival amid class disparities in the treacherous underbelly of the suburban dream, Ozark pushes the gritty crime drama to a brand new frontier.
Ozark was an unrelenting thriller that reminded audiences that the premise of an bizarre, suburban household man pressured into the violent underworld of crime is a straightforward promote. Like Walter, Marty is a very smart one that can navigate penalties with the biggest of ease. The complexity of the characters results in a high-stakes thriller the place you possibly can’t assist however surprise what nefarious motion will arrive round the subsequent nook. There are similarities between the characters on each exhibits. Though Skyler White (Anna Gunn) spends a lot of her time in ignorant bliss, Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) is extra energetic in the crime, turning into a co-conspirator somewhat than simply an confederate. And then there’s the partaking dynamic between boss and mentee. Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) is a sensational character who, like Jesse Pinkman, has potential for a greater life if the circumstances have been totally different. Ozark grew into itself over time, although the comparisons have been at all times there. Ozark‘s ending will endlessly be the antithesis of Breaking Bad, and that is a superb factor.
10
‘Sneaky Pete’ (2015–2019)
Unlike a lot of the exhibits on this record, Sneaky Pete was unafraid to dwell as much as the comparisons to Breaking Bad. In reality, while you actually solid Bryan Cranston, who additionally served as the present’s co-creator, as a vicious gangster, you virtually surprise if there may have been a shared universe. But, alas, Sneaky Pete lives by itself. One of the first Prime Video originals, the three-season collection places a conman on the run from the vicious gangsters he as soon as robbed. Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi) has nowhere to show, so he assumes the id of his cellmate, Pete, and takes his life as he “reunites” with Pete’s household, who haven’t any purpose to not consider he is not truly Pete. Hiding in plain sight, Marius joins the unsuspecting suburban household’s bail bond enterprise whereas managing his outdated prison ties and using his con-artist expertise to resolve issues.
A superb mixture of household drama and crime thriller, with a concentrate on the fallout of deception, Sneaky Pete is deep, darkish, and gritty in all the proper methods. Similar to Cranston’s present, Sneaky Pete includes a protagonist dwelling a harmful double life, inflicting a sophisticated intersection between prison and regular existence. That’s the place the darkish comedy is available in. With Ribisi mastering the stability of actual Marius and pretend Pete, he soars as the collection lead. The solely let-down that Sneaky Pete fell sufferer to was debuting on a still-fledgling streaming service that was in fixed battle with Netflix. Sneaky Pete will endlessly be an underrated collection that was misplaced in the shadows.
