Is it safe to say Breaking Bad > The Wire?

[fried pickles]

Breaking Bad is a great show... But honestly I don't even think it comes close to The Wire...

 

[swendro]

It's safe to say Breaking Bad = The Wire.

I can't pick one over the other.

 

[thedeek]

I might have to watch this Wire series while waiting for season 5 of BB.

 

[big j 33]

Even if I really wanted to, I don't even know if I could say A > B definitively. With a lot of things, if I actually broke it down and thought about it, I would come up with an answer, but probably not when it came to this. The Wire was just too unique.

Breaking Bad vs. pretty much anything else is possible, particularly Sopranos and Mad Men. It's also harder to say because watching BB and MM now compared to catching up after the fact on The Sopranos and The Wire. Definitively I will say that no one handled suspense and tension in each episode as well as Breaking Bad. The Wire had plenty of moments, Sopranos too, but compared to Breaking Bad it's a different story. Then again, you have always known Walter White would not die... at least yet, so that influenced how you felt, but the suspense in BB is one of a kind. The Wire had suspense in the sense that most of the characters could die at any point, due to the nature of the world, as well as the show's willingness to kill off characters.

Technically speaking, I think Breaking Bad might be a step above everything else in regards to the actual filmmaking. The cinematography, lighting, angles, framing, etc. have all been amazing. Naturally, on the flip-side, The Wire's goal wasn't necessarily to achieve the same things, since it operated as a realistic look into this world and society. It was important, but there's a different focus for that show than others. So here's another example of, it's just a matter of what you want.

Acting wise, Cranston and Paul's performances are two of the best in TV history and that is the driving force behind BB's greatness.

and again to flip it around, with so much of The Wire spread out to numerous characters, it's harder for them to give repeated attention to performances of the individual actors. With that note in mind, The Wire's ability to carry over such great character arcs over the course of 5 seasons is hard to beat.

 

[rico x hood]

Mad Men >> all

 

[rexanglorum]

I love both shows but I like BB more because BB leaves me thinking every day from Monday until the next episode drops on Sunday and I think about it every few days during th long off seasons. I also think that Walter White aka The Heisenberg is the best dramatic character ever to be on TV and Gus and Jesse are both right up there as well.

Aaron paul is just as good of an actor as Bryan Cranston and this season especially, Giancarlo Esposito showed us the range of his acting as Gustavo Fring.


BTW, I think I might change the quotation in my sig to read "Ahhhh!"

 

[hankmoody]

Breaking Bad > The Wire?

Originally Posted by Rico x Hood

Mad Men < Breaking Bad <<<<<<<<<< The Wire

 

[swendro]

It's safe to say Breaking Bad = The Wire.

I can't pick one over the other.

 

[sellout]

I have seen both..BB is better.
Hands down the best show on tv now and possibly in the history of television.

 

[quik1987]

Most people that say The Wire is better than Breaking Bad probably never watched Breaking Bad.

 

[hankmoody]

Originally Posted by quik1987

Most people that say The Wire is better than Breaking Bad probably never watched Breaking Bad.

 

[6 Rings G.O.A.T.]

Haven't seen any of these shows. . I need too..

 

[ghost703]

there are aspects in the cinematography, story build up ad production of breaking bad that are better than the wire... but over all as a series I feel the wire is superior

 

[hugebird]

Most of the people saying Breaking Bad, probably watched The Wire after the show finished, and had a preconceived idea on what the show should be.

I have watched both shows from episode one, and I'm taking The Wire. The Wire had me more emotionally invested in characters than any other show I've ever seen. The character development was so excellent, and in an era where many characters were one note, and many characters' roles are solely to act as a vehicle to advance plot or serve as a moral compass, the depth of the characters was outstanding, and that is where I feel The Wire separates from other shows.

Up until the last season, I would have taken Mad Men over Breaking Bad, but the last season of BB was so good, and the last season of Mad Men was so poor, BB is not on a different level.

Also, Sopranos may just be the most overrated show of all time. Seasons one and two were great. Season three was good, but at times it was such a caricature of itself, that it was comedic half of the time. The third and fourth seasons were bad television. Convoluted and unresolved plot lines were so frequent that at times it was so frustrating that it made the show nearly unwatchable. Season Six, I still haven't come to terms with. Once again, there was plenty of unintentional comedy this season, because of how ridiculous it was, but I am not sure if that was a positive or negative. I was happy with the last few episodes, and the way that the show ended I really did not have much of an opinion about, which I suppose is a negative, as I am sure that DC was looking to have the viewer emote, whether vitriolically or otherwise.

 

[ham city]

Originally Posted by RaWeX05

Originally Posted by thejrob

NO!!!

What makes The Wire a better show than Breaking Bad in your opinion? What does Breaking Bad lack that The Wire has?

You mind answering your own questions as to why BB is a better show than The Wire? No, your initial post did not do that. 

 

[hymen man]

IMO, yes.


Maybe not better, but it's definitely right next to it. 1A/1B type steez.

 

[soversotowel]

I'm on ep.10 of season three of BB via netflix and i am hooked 
 i must say that the show is excellent

being from baltimore i've never felt the need to watch the wire,i can just cut on da news lol

 

[welcometothetonezone]

I've seen all the episodes of The Wire and some episodes of Breaking Bad and I will say this:

The Wire definitely didn't get as much recognition by critics as Breaking Bad. While most of us here can 'relate' to The Wire and swear by it, the rest of America is finding Breaking Bad more relatable I guess.

That being said, The Wire will always be behind the shadow of Breaking Bad. I'm a big The Wire fan btw. I need to start catching up on Breaking Bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ons_received_by_The_Wire

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...received_by_Breaking_Bad

 

[hankmoody]

Originally Posted by welcometothetonezone



The Wire definitely didn't get as much recognition by critics as Breaking Bad.

You think major awards are determined by critics?

David Simon is an outsider and he never participated in the circle-jerk.

Speaking of wikipedia,

Despite only receiving modest ratings and never winning major television awards, The Wire has been described by many critics as the greatest television series ever made and one of the most accomplished works of fiction of the 2000s.[2][3][4][5][6][7]





Let me know when Harvard, Duke, Northwestern, etc. use Breaking Bad as a part of a class's curriculum. If that's already happened, link me to it. http://www.slate.com/arti..._you_feel_me.single.html

http://sitemaker.umich.ed...e_city/heart_of_the_city

 

[big j 33]

The reason The Wire won no awards is obvious, its not a show Emmy or Golden Globe voters would respond to, critics loved it, though.

 

[sn00pee]

breaking bad is good, but the wire was a masterpiece.

 

[celticsfan9783]

Originally Posted by Big J 33

The reason The Wire won no awards is obvious, its not a show Emmy or Golden Globe voters would respond to, critics loved it, though.PP

Pretty much. It absolutely HAS to be a racial/cultural thing. There is no other explanation.

(I'm white too... if it matters)

 

[rrickrude]

You can't really judge until Breaking Bad ends.

 

[T0INE]

Interesting thread.

I haven't watched a single episode of Breaking Bad but plan to go through the 1st 3 seasons by the end of the year.

Heard nothing but good things about the show so I'm looking forward to watching it.

Like someone else said it's hard to compare the quality of both shows because you don't know what the endpoint is for Breaking Bad.

 

[HEATHEN]

Honestly after a while I just stopped watching, IMO it's garbage compared to the Wire. I'm dead serious.