Breaking Bad is often referred to as the greatest show of all-time, and it’s not hard to see why. Despite coming from a moderately successful network like AMC and having not many significant stars attached, Breaking Bad created one of the most complex and compelling characters of all-time in Walter White, played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston. There hadn’t really been a show before that depicted a hero slowly transforming into a villain; Breaking Bad ran for five seasons, and each season corresponded to one of the five acts in a Shakespearean tragedy.
Breaking Bad is a must-watch for anyone who considers themselves to be a television fan, but that doesn’t mean it’s the definitive crime show. Other shows released in the same era achieved an even greater level of complexity and thus have become even more rewarding for those rewatching them.
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‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)
Better Call Saul is the greatest prequel show of all-time because it developed a story that made Breaking Bad even more powerful. Although Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) was essentially a source of comic relief on Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul revealed his tragic backstory as Jimmy McGill, a struggling lawyer who was desperate to earn the respect of his brother Chuck (Michael McKean).
Vince Gilligan made the brilliant decision to bring back many of the familiar faces from Breaking Bad into Better Call Saul, such as Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring, but the show’s best character was Kim Wexler, the legal ally to Jimmy, who was played by Rhea Seehorn. Although Seehorn sadly never ended up winning any Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance, Kim has been recognized as one of the greatest female characters in the entire history of television.
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‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)
‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)
Mr. Robot is a show that demands a rewatch because it is so packed with twists and turns that it becomes more rewarding when looking for details. There haven’t been many shows that have been almost entirely helmed by one creator, but Mr. Robot is the masterpiece of creator Sam Esmail, who directed every single installment in the last three seasons.
Mr. Robot features one of television’s greatest performances by Rami Malek, a computer hacker who is recruited by a group of activists to take down an evil corporation. Malek does a great job at showing the social awkwardness and anxiety that Elliot deals with, and delivers some of the most heartbreaking moments of acting in television history, thanks to some major reveals in Season 4. It’s one of the few shows to truly feel “cinematic” because it was inspired by crime films.
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‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010–2014)
‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010–2014)
Boardwalk Empire was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, who also directed the pilot episode and set the tone for the series. It’s not hard to see why, as Boardwalk Empire is a classic gangster show that resembles many of the crime dramas that Scorsese was known for making. Boardwalk Empire stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, a politician who is forced to handle his public responsibilities while also obliging his connections in the mob.
Boardwalk Empire contains what may be the greatest performance of Buscemi’s career, which is no small statement when considering what a great actor he is. However, the show also did a great job at bringing to life some other memorable historical figures, with Stephen Graham delivering a singular performance as the famous gangster Al Capone, and Michael Shannon in his breakout role as an unpredictable FBI agent.
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‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019)
‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019)
Mindhunter is a masterpiece that came from David Fincher, who also happened to be responsible for some of the greatest serial killer films ever made. Fincher drew from the real reports of the former FBI profiler John Douglas to look at how the term “serial killer” was coined in the ‘70s when a pair of FBI agents began to research men who had developed psychopathic behavior.
Mindhunter featured a remarkable performance by Jonathan Groff as Agent Holden Ford, a member of the FBI who was inspired by Douglas. Although Groff tends to be best known as a Broadway star, most famously for his part as King George III in Hamilton, he transforms into playing a dark, ambitious law enforcement agent who fears that he has begun to develop tendencies that are similar to the men he’s been tasked to track down.
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‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)
‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)
Hannibal is one of the most ambitious modern television shows because Thomas Harris’ novels had inspired several great films, including Michael Mann’s underrated masterpiece Manhunter and Jonathan Demme’s Best Picture-winning horror classic The Silence of the Lambs. However, Hannibal took a new slant on the familiar story by showing the adventures of FBI Agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) during a time in which he was aligned with Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), who had not yet revealed himself to be a serial killer.
Hannibal was shockingly gory and stylized for a network show, as NBC wasn’t known for making such prestige shows in the same way that HBO or FX were. While the series was sadly canceled after three seasons, it’s a miracle that it even exists, and it deserves to be celebrated as one of the greatest adaptations of Harris’ material.
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‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
The Wire is a show that changed the landscape of crime television because it was praised for its accuracy. The show was created by David Simon, a former reporter who had covered the crime beat in Baltimore for over a decade. Simon was angry about the lack of progress that was being made when it came to fixing the city’s institutions and ensuring that incarcerated criminals didn’t fall back into lives of unlawfulness, and The Wire did an amazing job at exploring every level of institution and how they interacted with each other.
The Wire grew in complexity with each season, as it managed to explore the drug trade from both perspectives, illegal shipments on the city docks, the machinations of political elections, the impact on primary education, and the way events were covered by biased, sensationalist news media outlets.
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‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
The Sopranos is one of the most defining pieces of art in the 21st century, and is responsible for inspiring nearly all of what “prestige television” has become today, including Breaking Bad. HBO took a chance on David Simon’s ambitious idea for a crime show, which centered around the gangster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as he tried to balance his personal and professional responsibilities.
The Sopranos was highly experimental in using avant-garde cinematic techniques, but it also had a very dark sense of humor that has made it even more rewatchable. The Sopranos is known for having one of the most brilliant endings of all-time with the shocking finale “Made in America,” which is so worthy of analysis that it is still provoking debates nearly two decades after it first aired. The show has also expanded into other media, including an underrated prequel film.
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‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–2017)
‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–2017)
Twin Peaks is the ultimate masterpiece of David Lynch, an all-time great cinematic director who teamed up with the seasoned television showrunner Mark Frost to create an idiosyncratic crime show that questioned all the cliches of the genre. While crime shows at the time tended to be very procedural and not spend much time on the victims, Twin Peaks explored the extent to which the titular small town was grieving after the murder of the prom queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), and how her death ended up revealing everyone’s dark secrets.
Twin Peaks was canceled too soon by ABC after its second season, but Lynch returned a year later with the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which told the story from Laura’s perspective. He later made the actual third season in 2017, which was by far its most experimental and surrealist chapter yet.
Twin Peaks
- Release Date
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1990 – 1991-00-00
- Directors
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Lesli Linka Glatter, Caleb Deschanel, Duwayne Dunham, Tim Hunter, Todd Holland, Tina Rathborne, Diane Keaton, Graeme Clifford, James Foley, Jonathan Sanger, Mark Frost, Stephen Gyllenhaal
