OT: The Wire vs. Breaking Bad
Just read an article in my news feed. I couldn't get a link. Or didn't know how to.
It asked which do you like more The Wire or Breaking Bad?
Here is their synopsis: "The Wire and Breaking Bad remain at the peak of prestige TV. Both have their merits and are as close to perfect series as can be made. However, Breaking Bad narrowly edges out The Wire as the superior show for its consistent quality from beginning to end, its more compelling characters, countless iconic scenes and quotes and for its undeniably greater impact on current pop culture."
Love both but I'm going with The Wire.
What say you?
Sheeeeiiiittt. Wire all day.
SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT
wire not even close
Clay Davis was one of my favorite characters on this show no doubt
The Wire. I would say that both shows have compelling characters but The Wire balances more of them.
Breaking Bad focuses on basically 4 characters for the duration of the show, The Wire does that per season give or take.
I also feel that they are equally fantastic because they handle the content the best they could. I would say that they both have their episodes that drag a little, but The Wire is just more consistent without reminding you of how great it is.
These are 2 of my all-time favorites so I have thought a lot about this LOL
"...basically 4 characters:
I count 6: White, Pinkman, Ehrmantraut. Fring, Schrader, Skyler
The Wire at its best was better but it also had some stinkers in the latter seasons. If Game of Thrones didn’t blow it on the last season it would have been the best show ever imo.
You mean the last 3 seasons right?
He means he last season he watched. He didn't watch the last one (I'm guessing)
The serial killer storyline in the last season of The Wire was sus but the newspaper stuff balanced it out well IMO.
Breaking Bad
Great series and I really liked the Narco music I'm ashamed to say
Never be ashamed to like Migos!
I can't pick overall, as Harbaugh once said "when you compare, you diminish both," but it seems like The Wire wins on realism and impact, while Breaking Bad wins on cinematography and the look of the show. Breaking Bad might be the most beautifully framed, shot, and edited show of all time, the exception possibly being Better Call Saul. It's as good or better looking than Breaking Bad, and story-wise is really hitting its stride in the same way too.
totally agree re breaking bads look and feel - they shot that so well. i dont know much about cinematography but i know they consistently hit it out of the park
The desert itself always seemed to be a main character in BB. The whole series felt like a mini-homage to the beauty of that landscape.
Especially the pizza on the roof. /s
That was amazing. It even stunned Cranston-- it happened on the first take supposedly and he still did a clear double-take you can see in the final cut. I remember seeing an interview with him that mentioned he almost broke character he was so surprised the pizza flew up so perfectly.
You hit the nail on the head.
Both great shows!
Breaking Bad is better at traditional "show" stuff like suspense, plot twists and acting. The Wire is unique, almost a documentary about the city in some places, with incredible "naturalistic" acting.
However, my all-time favorite is currently The Americans, which really blends elements of both shows.
The Americans was great. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys carried the load but some of the secondary characters knocked it out of the park. Martha (Alison Wright was awesome) for one, Paige for another.
To answer the OP's question...at the wire it's The Wire for me. BTW: If you have watched Bosch then you must have noticed that Lance Reddick plays the exact same character he did on The Wire. Cedric Daniels and Irvin Irving both career cops reaching for the top slot. Both are strong, silent and emotionally coiled trying to keep everything from flying apart.
Poor. Damn. Martha.
I loved the Americans from beginning to end. What tends to lose me on shows like that, even though it was based on a true story, was the incredible amount fortuity of in their favor, at seemingly every turn. It's less interesting if you know they will succeed at everything.
And in that vein, Silicon Valley was a fantastic show for that. Even to be a comedy and not needing to stick to "reality" in a sense, the creators said they didn't want a show where everything went right for the main characters. So for every big win they had, there were significant steps back, and it made their potential rise to the top seem much more realistic.
A write-in vote for Dark (German show on Netflix).
/Of the 2, I prefer The Wire.
Man you got to be on your game watching Dark. Its back and forth theme makes Inception seem easy to figure out.
I watched season 1 before 2 was out, so a big break between seasons. That is not the ideal way to watch them, too much to keep track of. Season 3 is next on my watch list. Ideally you should just binge all 3 seasons back to back.
Still have yet to watch The Wire, Breaking Bad was great.
Inception is easy to figure out...
To answer the question: The Wire narrowly edges out Breaking Bad (but Walter White narrowly edges out Omar as the best character from both shows).
What about Stringer Bell! My all time favorite character from a tv series. The man was just so smooth, had some of the best lines (Are you taking notes at a criminal conspiracy!) and at the end of the day just wanted to go legit.
Good call...just made a post about this.
Dark has become one of my top-3 if not favorite shows ever. I cannot believe how much I enjoy this puzzle of a show. So captivating, every second, every shot, every line. I'm not exactly a huge sci-fi fan but this time-travel show is done in such a dramatic way and the science and theory behind it all is very intriguing.
Can I direct you to this blog: https://metawitches.com/2020/07/04/dark-season-3-episode-1-deja-vu-recap/
It is so intelligently written. Excellent recaps. It's a bit much at times, she's almost too smart and a times can throw in some tiny spoilers as some of her theories are spot on. I just read the season 2 recap the other day before starting season 3 and it goes on and on and on. Not a bad thing but holy hell I didn't think people could make television that big of a hobby.
Yep.
Dark is easily a top 3 series for me all-time. I'm now eagerly anticipating 1899 (next project from Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar).
The success of Dark is why I want an exceptional network (like HBO, AMC, FX, or Netflix) to make an American adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's Monster. If people like the focus on subtle details, intersecting storylines, and intrigue/mystery/drama/psychological horror, then people should check this out. It has one of the most compelling villains of all-time - Johan Liebert. Unfortunately, the actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) most suited to play Johan b/c of uncanny resemblance is now too old.
Monster is so fucking good. Here's what Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz had to say about the manga.
Urasawa has another brilliant and famous manga series called 20th Century Boys (and its short sequel 21st Century Boys) which seem even more relevant in an age marred by a pandemic and the rise of Trump.
I know nothing of the comic books/manga, I guess genres(?), but this sounds very interesting and something that could translate to the screen very well. Let's get this to happen! Also did no know of bo Odar and Friese's new project, will look into that a bit as well!
Malcom in the Middle.
OMAR Comin' !!!!!!
I have a shotgun, you have a brief case!
Wire for me.
The CHI had a chance to compete after the first two seasons but just kinda crapped the bed with this most recent one imo.
Imagine all of the lessons the creative team learned while making Breaking Bad and how they could apply them to their next TV project. Better Call Saul is better than BB.
agreed, though we will see if they can stick the landing like Breaking Bad did.
The only real question is what happens to Kim.
Kim theory:
At some point shit gets real and she decides to get out of Dodge. Head back from where she came, which was somewhere in the middle of the Great Plains. Sets up the possibility she walks into a certain Cinnabon. A real long shot I admit but why not have Kim be the person who outs Gene/Saul/Jimmy?
I loved both series but if I had to pick one it would be "The Wire"...so gritty and realistic hard to stop watching. Some of the storylines were horribly surreal like the hitmen consoling their victims in the abandoned houses.
The Wire (oh, no doubt)
....a bunch of other shows...then Breaking Bad. This is not even a close debate. I loved watching Breaking Bad, it is a great show, but it is not a Top 5 all time great show.
Disagree that Breaking Bad has better characters. I mean yes Walter, Saul, and Jesse are pretty good. But the Wire has like 20 great characters that are on both sides of the law and are super complex. That’s why it’s so good, there’s no singular hero or anti hero.
Where the wire falls a little flat is the way it can feel pretty dated at times. So it makes it harder to get new people into the show.
This is the only legit knock on the wire...it seems a little dated when watching today, especially to a younger generation, but people love period pieces.
I watched The Wire for the first time I think last summer or maybe 2018 but it was super dated. Made somethings almost comical to watch.
I believe overall Breaking Bad was much better because there might have been one episode that was a little down, where The Wire had a few seasons that were "meh".
The wire and not all that close
This is like trying to choose between hanging out with Charles Woodson or Tom Brady: You’d be happy with whatever choice you made.
They're my two favorite shows, and I’d go with Breaking Bad. Also, note that there’s a newer Lite beer commercial that reminds me of BB.
The Wire.
You come at the King, you best not miss.
A man's got to have a code.
[stupid double post, guess I missed]
Breaking Bad was a very fun show to watch the first time--although the internal logic of the show becomes extremely silly by the end--but honestly, once you answer the question of "What happens next?" there's not much more to the show.
I am a couple of episodes into season 4 of Breaking Bad, and was trying to decide what to watch next. Thx, ppl!