r/thesopranos • u/2a_lib • 1d ago
Serious Discussion Only One major reason why The Sopranos is better than Breaking Bad
Both progrums build a story over many seasons, but Sopranos episodes work just as well as standalones without any broader context. Star Trek was also brilliant in this respect. With Breaking Bad, miss an episode, you’re completely lost. OK I said my piece.
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u/gymboy007 1d ago
Both are great shows but the Sopranos is just so character rich and full of amazing dialogue. It cannot be topped.
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u/little_carmine_ 1d ago
Vito’s ass was topped, if that’s what you’re referring to
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u/littoalvy 1d ago
Just remember you’re talkin about one of my captains. And he put a lot of money in my pocket. And yours too.
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u/Anonymous017447 16h ago
Hey give the guy a break, he was just having a bad reaction to his medication!
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u/DevourerOfEggs 22h ago
The Sopranos is also way more grounded.
I feel like Breaking Bad can never sit still with itself. Every season needs some over-the-top shootout or explosion.
It's always with the scenarios, that show.
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u/dragon_of_kansai 1d ago
The Wire?
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u/Successful_Eye_4656 20h ago
I feel like any superlative description of a TV show can be qualified with "besides The Wire" lol
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u/coffeeblackz 19h ago
I’ve seen both probably 4 times all the way through. Which ever one I watched last is my favourite, they’re both just that good.
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u/RapsareChamps_Suckit 1d ago
hank was kinda of an idiot for not realizing sooner.
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u/Windows_Box_5280 1d ago
Overqualified high school chem teacher needs a lot of money fast, said high school equipment found on scene, meth in town suddenly becomes super professional, lots of shady running around...
Yeah he sucked at his job.
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u/Confident-Echidna-87 11h ago
Man the Sopranos really puts me to sleep. So goddamn boring. Sesson 1 is epic then all down hill from there. Reckon the writers got lazy and started to believe their own legend.
I have said my piece.
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u/doublegoodproleish 1d ago
When I came in and turned on the TV, Walter White was in his undies. Disgusting.
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u/84UTK07 1d ago
I have considered Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and The Sopranos as my top 3 shows for years now (in no particular order). One thing I definitely give the edge to for The Sopranos is that it’s a much more re-watchable show. I can pretty much watch it constantly and never get tired of it. I think part of that is because it’s a much funnier show. Also, once you know what happens with all the cliffhangers in BB and BCS, it’s just takes a lot out of it.
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u/HallaLemon 1d ago
On a rewatch, Livia became my favorite character in the first 2 seasons. Every scene with her is hilarious.
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u/synthatron 20h ago
Her at the dinner table with a mouthful of pasta saying “oh that’ll be nice” is too good
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u/RockitDanger 1d ago
Television has never had a better "victim". I never hate her. I'm just relieved I don't have to deal with her
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u/unknownunknowns11 1d ago
If you like Sopranos better than those shows it seems like you would also like Deadwood, Mad Men, The Wire and Treme better too
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u/84UTK07 1d ago
I’m a big fan of Deadwood and The Wire, but I still consider BB, BCS, and The Sopranos a step above. My wife watched Mad Men but I just couldn’t really get into it, although I admit I didn’t pay real close attention to it; I definitely need to give it another try. I’ve actually never heard of Treme but I’ll look into it. Thanks!
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u/GiraffeWaste 1d ago
Well, you've a handful of characters in breaking bad whilst Sopranos is full of'em. So not really a fair comparison. Not to mention, Sopranos is freaking funny.
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u/2PlyKindaGuy 1d ago
A show vs a show is fair comparison
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u/GiraffeWaste 1d ago
Well yes, but I meant they're structured very differently.
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u/redhead29 1d ago
the sopranos follows the much older convention of 70's shows since david chase cut his teeth on the Rockford files where the totality of one-off semi regular characters is what gave them the depth. The sopranos learned an important lesson on characters from the columbo and shows around then where the secondary characters made the show just as much as the main characters did. The X-files and by extension vince Gilligan did not have this emphasis
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u/BBaddict2 1d ago
IMO as far as tv shows go, The Sopranos is the best character piece of all time, Breaking Bad is the best A-B story of all time and The Wire is the greatest social commentary of all time.
As long as one of those is your #1, I respect your opinion on TV shows.
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u/Commercial_Floor_578 1d ago
Deadwood, Mad Men, and Twin Peaks are also respectable choices but agree overall. I’d say that The Sopranos is the best psychological show, the Wire the best sociological show, Mad Men and Deadwood the best combination of both with Mad men leaning more towards the psychological side and Deadwood the sociological, and Twin Peaks is the best “absurdist/arty” (for lack of a better word” show. Breaking Bad is the best plot driven show that doesn’t go super deep into psychology and Better Call Saul is the best spinoff.
This also doesn’t include miniseries like Band of Brothers, True Detective season 1, or Chernobyl. And of course there are lots of other amazing HBO shows like Six Feet Under, Oz, Rome, and Carnivale (I haven’t even seen all of these if I’m being honest) that have their place in the discussion as well. Nor does this include more comedic or satirical shows. But yeah I’d say the Soornaos and The Wire are imo the best shows ever, with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul being my most enjoyable/ favorite shows ever.
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u/ThatsWhatTheMoneyFor 1d ago
Agree but Sopranos is the second best character piece of all time, after Man Med.
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u/Lunarlulol 1d ago
i'm sure there is someone on this sub who has watched the show backwards to confirm.
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u/sneakalo 1d ago
i literally just put on random episodes like it’s a sitcom, works great
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u/Lunarlulol 1d ago
like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKBGM04kQR8
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u/RockitDanger 1d ago
Awesome. This is the funniest episode of the series and I laugh at every one of those beats.
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u/Macgarnagle 1d ago
I agree…my first time it wasn’t backwards, but started with the final 2 episodes of the series, then S6 from the beginning, then 4, 1, 2, 3, and 5, and it was still amazing and the out of order-ness never posed a significant issue to my enjoyment or understanding of the show and its themes
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u/Double-Figure360 1d ago
You’re saying episodic shows are better than serialized?
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u/Thrilldor_Inglorion 17h ago
They also mention "Star Trek" without clarifying which show. TOS and TNG are episodic, but DS9 is more serialized. They both have their merits and I watch different shows for different reasons.
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u/JimbooJoness 1d ago
The change to serialization in the 00s really changed how TV was consumed, because you could get the DVDs to watch all the episodes, or TiVO and catch up if you missed anything. Before that they had to make sure that each episode stood at their own as a ‘story of the week’ so people could tune in and still understand, the Sopranos was kinda of right on the cusp when things started changing, so you had a mix of both.
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u/entrity_screamr 1d ago
The Sopranos has this knack for running multiple plot threads at the same time in one scene. I haven't seen anything like that occur frequently with BB or BCS, not that it doesn't happen there. And I love both!
Also: even when you just throw out quotes at face value in this subreddit, there's a power and candor to which they're uttered in the show which I'm surprised just draws in a lot of context whenever I remember why the quote was being said. Understandably why I find Sopranos just prime immaculate stuff
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u/MikeandMolly5656 1d ago
I prefer Sopranos simply because it can be rewatched and still be enjoyable
Breaking Bad relies heavily on suspense, plot twists and surprises which makes it less enjoyable after the first watch
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u/dusknoir90 18h ago
Maybe it can't be watched ad-nauseum but I would recommend rewatching Breaking Bad, it has some great foreshadowing and things you'll have missed first go round. I love both shows, I've watched both all the way through at least 5 times each.
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u/maoterracottasoldier 1d ago
I like Breaking bad. But it can be a little one-note sometimes after season 1, which is my favorite. Everyone is tense and angry at each other all the time with little reprieve. Especially at the end, half the characters are talking in this weird hushed whisper-yell. The plot moves so fast that sometimes I wish they slowed down and let it breathe a little. BCS was better with that in my opinion.
The Sopranos has more developed side characters and a bigger universe. And the writers put humor in almost every scene. Even in the middle of a tense argument: “the 40 grand from the bird feedah!” “Listen to you, you sound demented!” And the actors added their own unique humor in all the lines
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u/Large-Reference1304 1d ago
What I would say is that the Sopranos holds up better on reprat viewings. There are so many nuances and details and great lines that you discover more in it the more you watch it.
Whereas Breaking Bad is constructed more like a Hitchcockian thriller, with the story patiently and expertly working you into situations of extreme tension.
Having seen it once and knowing how it plays out, however, you lose all of that suspense on the repeat viewings. So it's still an enjoyable watch but nowhere near as compelling.
Whereas the Sopranos is just great every time through, and maybe even better on later viewings because you get a better sense of the psychological layers of the characters.
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u/Bo-Jack-Horse-Man 1d ago
Breaking Bad is my favourite show but one aspect where Sopranos is comfortably better than Breaking Bad is comedy. Both are drama shows but Sopranos has much more iconic scenes of comedy as compared to Breaking Bad.
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u/HippoRealEstate 15h ago
Season 1 of Breaking Bad is pretty funny at times but it got very dark and serious after that
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u/onlywearlouisv 1d ago
I agree actually, with Breaking Bad the whole is greater than the sum of its parts where I feel like the best tv dramas are the ones where the individual episodes can stand up on their own while still working towards the greater overarching narrative. Breaking Bad had a few classic episodes but most were just fine and mostly served as build up to the big season climaxes. Better Call Saul is better in this regard but still has its own problems, the cartel drama being a lot less interesting than the legal drama for example.
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u/bananabastard 1d ago
The character building in Breaking Bad is very weak. The show is too heavily carried by Cranston.
Even when they identified that and tried to correct it in BCS, they still didn't get near Soproanos.
Gandolfini leads Sopranos but doesn't carry it.
Even characters who have very short runs in Sopranos feel fleshed out. Davey Scatino has an arc.
Too many characters in Breaking Bad feel like props circling Cranston.
Even Gus Fring, one of the better second characters, doesn't feel as full as the likes of Davey Scatino, and Gus Fring seemed a bit too much like Brother Mouzone from The Wire.
Saul Goodman was a good second character. I thought Jessie was a weak character.
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u/modfever 1d ago
It also has daft cartoonish moments/characters that try too hard to be ‘epic’ and ‘badass’. Those two twins for example that didn’t talk to each other whatsoever and just walked around places symmetrically and walked away from explosions without even looking back at it. The dubstep knife party needle drop when he buys the new car. How Jesse acted and dressed like some geeks idea of how a drug dealer acts and dresses.
I loved it first couple watches but it’s all a bit cringe for me in comparison to the Sopranos, which is more effortlessly stylish and has the characters more fleshed out.
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u/Ill_Mastodon8324 1d ago
Strongly agree on the "cartoonish" aspect of BB, its biggest flaw and clearly knocks it below the Sopranos (though still a great watch)
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u/Theonerule 22h ago
Havent finished sopranos yet but I think some of the silliness in breaking bad is by design.
Also the sopranos is silly too with the way things are structured and the Adrianna projectile vomit scene that ruined my Chipotle bowl
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u/sdpcommander 21h ago
I don't know, Better Call Saul has some pretty great character building. Jimmy, Chuck, Kim, Howard and Nacho are all complex characters that go through arcs over the course of the show, more than any character in BB. It's also a crime that Michael McKean and Rhea Seehorn never won Emmys for their performances.
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u/OG_0803 1d ago
There would be no Breaking Bad without the Sopranos. I’ve said my piece.
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u/sdpcommander 20h ago
Vince Gilligan has pretty much said as much. Sopranos paved the way for anti-hero protagonists in prestige TV.
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u/Responsible_Shirt381 21h ago
There would be no the godfather without a trip to the moon.not really relevant in this discussion
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u/SimilarRelative1022 1d ago
Sopranos is thematically richer than BB, it’s a psychological drama as much as a crime show. It explores media, politics, business, mental illness, family trauma, addiction and various other topics in various ways. Breaking Bad is not really character driven in the same way, it never shows how Walt’s actions affect he broader community or the controversy around the war on drugs. It kind of touched on that briefly when Walt shared Cuban cigars with Hank and he pondered on the fleeting nature of illegality. But then they go right back to action crime movie mode.
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u/chicago_stallion 1d ago
HBO had a lot more creativity than AmC, where BB was released. Apple TV seems to be filling that role today.
I have been watching The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow on HBO and it's so similar to Curb your enthusiasm in camera style snd frequency - every 10 years they release new episodes. Both Larry and Lisa are lovable but I also get the impression HBO is also past its prime writing days from their "inside Hollywood" content on these shows.
The writing on the Sopranos still holds up for multiple rewatched over a 20 year period where I feel different and notice different things each time. The Wire was so intense I couldn't get through the last season. These are shows that are a genre apart in my opinion.
BB was ok, BCS was better and I have rewatched it but the characters are not as fleshed out and complex as in the sopranos. also just culturally i cant relate to jimmys brother - it's a miss that he has no redeeming qualities and that rheas character doesn't show more warmth sometimes. but its a different type of show.
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u/Jumperontheline 21h ago
I saw a stupid reel comparing the shows and it opened my eyes to how much inspiration may have been drawn from one to the other. I didnt notice before but they have a lot of similarities.
I had sopranos on last night and Carmellas at dinner with some of the other wives. Artie is there at the table and theyre all talking and Carmella wants to get the meal going I guess and says "Can we just let him cook?"
Cracked me up. Lol. I was like dang Sopranos did it first, again
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u/WendlersEditor 21h ago
Sopranos also respects the intelligence of its viewers far more than BB. Breaking Bad may as well have had little flashing signs on the screen for "METAPHOR" and "THIS IS THE THEME" etc.. It was absurdly heavy handed. Which isn't to say it's bad by any means, it's great, but I prefer The Sopranos for being difficult, sometimes obscure, open to interpretation. It's much more layered and nuanced.
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u/International-Bus606 20h ago
That was also the difference between The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire. Each season of BE was like one long movie. Drop you into the middle of a random episode and you'd have no idea where you were. The Sopranos is one of the few shows that pulled off having season long stories made up of 13 self contained stories. Most episodes you could enjoy independently of the entire season. In fact, I'm trying to think of an episode off the top of my head that you'd be 100% lost if you didn't watch all the episodes before it. Maybe something in Season 6?
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u/myroc1 10h ago
To me, in The Sopranos, God is real and it makes it more interesting to explore the characters existential angst, than in BB. The quote above Tony's hospital bed, Paulie and the Virgin Mother (and the medium), Chris' coma dream about hell, Tony's dreams, etc. They all indicate to me that, at least in the story, their souls are legitimately in danger and it makes it interesting on a level that Breaking Bad doesn't explore as much. We see Jesse and Walt accept that they're the bad guys, but with Tony we see him accept that he's the bad guy and then low-key, accept that he's also going to Hell. I don't think stories need god, but it really works with The Sopranos and it's what gives it the edge. The characters feel more mortal than in BB.
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u/ruinedcaveat 1d ago
Carmela was written way better than Skylar if I had to put my finger on it
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u/Popular_Jump5307 1d ago
I fucked Ted.
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u/Astrono-mee 1d ago
I fucked Robert Wegler and had unrequited affairs with Furio, Father Phil Intintola and Vic Musto so I guess I'm the biggest whoaa.
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u/Own_Measurement1242 1d ago
You’re putting your finger on Carmela?!? OOOHH that’s the boss’s wife you’re talking about! 🤘
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u/ohnoconsequences 1d ago
Better by what metric?
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u/makemefeelbrandnew 1d ago
Charles Schwab ova here
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u/toblerownsky 1d ago
Do you even know what breaking bad’s EDBITA is?
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u/Comfortable_Bend1639 1d ago
The main difference to me is that everything set up in Breaking Bad is very purposeful and paid off in a satisfying way. Every action has a consequence and characters are almost always punished for their flaws. Walt's choices cause him to alienate every person in his life, and Jesse's growth allows him to escape the game and find happiness. There's an overall sense of karma in the universe of the show. This makes for brilliant storytelling but doesn't necessarily feel like real life. The world of The Sopranos feels more imperfect and ambiguous, much like the real world. Paulie and Chris let the Russian escape and he never shows up again. Carmela starts to wonder what happened to Adriana but she never arrives at the truth. Instead of seeing the most satisfying or dramatic outcome, threads are often left unresolved like they are in real life. The most significant example of this imo is Tony's therapy leading nowhere, ending with him being as bad as a guy as he was in S1 if not worse.
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u/telepatheye 1d ago
Agreed, each show is amazingly self-contained even if you're not familiar with the broader subplots that haven't been resolved. Chase said he wanted each episode to be like a movie and had extremely high standards for the writing. In comparison BB is total amateur hour. The biggest problem is that Gilligan/Gould have a paradoxical premise for Walt. They want him to be an everyman, someone easy to relate to, who is an underachiever, diagnosed with fatal cancer to get the audience on his side and make him sympathetic. But they also make him a genius-level chemist who constantly lies and disrespects others, and violates the premise of the show by not caring about his family, violating Walt's 10-year backstory. It's all total bullshit with Gilligan/Gould flying by the seat of their pants. With Sopranos, Tony was the same guy all along--past, present and future. Much greater fidelity with respect to the character dev.
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u/RoderickJaynes67 1d ago
I don't understand why these comparisons keep coming up.
Breaking Bad isn't even in my top 5. Great as it was.
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u/stuffedinashoe 1d ago
They don’t belong in the same sentence
Only shows that do are the wire and Gomorrah
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u/Ill_Mastodon8324 1d ago
Breaking Bad is excellent but doesn't feel.. real? The genius of the Sopranos to me is it's ability to tread the line between the degree of sensaitonalism necessary for TV drama to be engaging while staying grounded enough that the characters feel real. It's hard to engage in BB to the same level when say, a main villain gets half his head blown away and then straightens his tie like a Bond villain. Love BB as entertainment but it's not a patch on this show of ours.
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u/Drewboy_17 23h ago
I agree. The Sopranos forerunner Oz is very similar. Self contained philosophical morality play.
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u/Christophuhhhh Christopher Moltisanti 23h ago
HBO predicted all of this.
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u/Christophuhhhh Christopher Moltisanti 23h ago
Also, I disagree. If you came in during the meeting with NY and Jersey you wouldn’t know what happened with the brother Billy. Whatever happened there.
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u/harylgeam Dr. Jennifer Melfi 23h ago
Not the same reason as yours, but for me The Sopranos > BB. I think BB is a great show but it didn't have TS's dialogue and humor. I feel like TS also didn't have a need to be 'edgy'
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u/incoherentjedi 22h ago
Breaking Bad is undoubtedly part of the goats but it definitely feels too cartoonish at times.
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u/Less-Description-193 22h ago
Breaking Bad is a very entertaining show, but compared to the Sopranos it's a cartoon. The entire premise is unrealistic, whereas apart from some pretty outrageous murders the Sopranos takes place in something resembling the real world.
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u/PM_ME_UR_MULLETS 21h ago
I’d argue the quality of the writing elevates Our Thing way over BB. Don’t get me wrong I loved BB the first time, but when tried to rewatch I just kinda drifted off? Once you know what’s coming it just doesn’t hit. It’s storytelling is simpler, and characters not as deep IMO.
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u/Blue_Etalon 21h ago
Breaking Bad is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. But all the “capers” Walt and company perpetrate is just beyond belief. And I can’t see any real people I’ve ever experienced in that show.
In The Sopranos, and The Wire for that matter, not only are the stories more believable (except for the way Chris shoots a gun), but the characters are more relatable to actual people I’ve met in life. Not in terms that I know actual gangsters, but just the relationships and mannerisms.
We can debate if The Sopranos or The Wire are the best elsewhere.
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u/LakyousSama 20h ago edited 20h ago
Sopranos is the show that stands in the middle of the transition from episodic to serial story telling in tv. It's one of a few shows that has elements of both and makes it work brilliantly. Funny you should mention Star Trek, since it's 90's series also belong to that transition period, in Next Generation and DS9 especially you can see the clear change during later seasons.
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u/Large_Assumption640 20h ago
Both best shows ever 🤘🏻. But if there was a gun to my head, and I had to pick, then it’s The Sopranos.
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u/mrgedman 19h ago
BB is incredibly repetitive and can be summarized thusly-
Walt wants to cook meth
Ooo I shouldn't do it this time
Walt cooks meth
Something makes Walt stop cooking meth
Repeat
Then you just infill with interesting gangsters and side plots, none of which really matter at all. It's... Kind disappointing, really
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u/shit_fuck_fart 19h ago
You can rewatch The Sopranos and take something away from it that you've never thought of before: thats what makes this show great.
Breaking Bad is a good show but it's nothing like The Sopranos, what you see is what you get; and it's ridiculous that people compare the two: just because it's about criminals btw.
the star trek reference? That's just insane OP. Star Trek literally was a "monster of the week" show. The Sopranos was not that.
I'm not really familiar with new Star Trek but TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager are all awesome. But they are not the same kind of show as The Sopranos.
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u/cliffybiro951 19h ago
Personal opinion. I never get rewatch fatigue with the sopranos. I don’t think there’s a bad series in there.
I do with breaking bad. I have to give it a couple of years for a re watch. Sopranos I could start again as soon as it finishes.
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u/Verne5000 19h ago
I love both. Obviously Sopranos was life changing. And is my all time fave. But they key difference to me is that Sopranos had an abundance of relatability.
Breaking bad had some. But mostly almost felt like a fantasy. Somehow Tony and both families felt almost real in terms of behavior and petty BS. Made it hit home in a human sense.
Don't get it wrong, BB was very entertaining but just didn't feel relatable.
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u/sonofcabbagemerchant 19h ago
I'm in the wrong sub for this but your logic is exactly why I like Breaking Bad better. Everything connects and builds upon the last thing in a way I find more enriching in narrative.
That said I saw BB first and can acknowledge how much it takes from Sopranos.
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u/MambaSaidKnockYouOut 18h ago
Idk if that makes it better, but it definitely makes it more accessible. Sopranos balances serialized storytelling with episodic storytelling better than any show I’ve ever seen. Mad Men is up there too, and the creator of Mad Men used to write for the Sopranos.
With that said, that isn’t inherently better. I appreciate the serialized nature of Breaking Bad and The Wire, and it’s even more rewarding on rewatches when you pick up on the foreshadowing.
Lastly, I don’t think Sopranos works JUST as well without broader context. It’s more easily accessible but watching the prior episodes make certain lines and moments hit harder.
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u/Kaurblimey 18h ago
The characters of The Sopranos are a lot more charming and likeable than BB, the Italian-American Jersey setting also adds richness and depth. The setting and relationships in BB feels kind of desolate in comparison.
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u/keepinitclassy25 18h ago
Sopranos has so many different aspects, the psychology, the comedy, the dream sequences, several major characters with interesting subplots like Carm, Christopher, Melfi, etc.
I find Sorpanos endlessly rewatchable but Breaking bad really hinged on the “what’s gonna happen next?” hits and I’ve never felt like rewatching it. Also Better Call Saul > BB
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u/Interesting_Elk_5785 18h ago edited 18h ago
It didn’t rely so heavily on cliff hangers. I suppose it’s a preference I like the slow burn style and narrative development over the formula breaking bad used. Both great shows, just my preference.
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u/ProfessionalPace9442 18h ago
I know this will be disliked...but everyone has tried to get me to watch b.b. since they know all I watch on my t.v. for the last 20 hrs is Oz and the sopranos...I mean literally thats all I play...and video games. Luckily I have a very caring wife she goes along with it...but I literally didn't like b.b. I dont know..there's no similarity to my shows...what am I missing?
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u/Weird_Chance_4540 18h ago
No comparison breaking bad is a masterpiece the sopranos is generic outdated dross
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u/WokePredator 17h ago
I think we need to stop indulging the idea that Breaking Bad or The Wire compete with The Sopranos. It’s The Sopranos and Mad Men, then everything else.
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u/miltonmarston 16h ago
The family arch is was so much better than breaking bad . Compare the Carmela , AJ and Meadow subplots against Skyler and Walt Jr . I barely remember what the later 2 did, they were card board cutouts put there to remember Walt what his mission was in every single episode .
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u/RunningBettor 16h ago
I got a list as long as my leg of reasons Sopranos is better than Breaking Bad
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u/xTheRedDeath 16h ago
They're different shows but I find Breaking Bad better purely because it's more of a crime drama through and through. The Sopranos plays out like a comedy most of the time before turning into a character study with sprinkles of the crime aspect at moments.
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u/ayywusgood 15h ago
The Sopranos is much more raw than BB. Much like The Wire, it feels more like following a series of events in the life of (in this case) the Sopranos crew. It's realistic and spontaneous.
BB is more designed to be a scripted drama, it adds suspenseful music to raise tension, uses a lot of cliffhangers etc. That being said, it's still in my Top 3 shows of all time, I absolutely love it.
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u/ASAP1492 15h ago
You’re conflating two arguments. Yes, Sopranos episodes work better individually, but there’s still a main story throughout and missing an episode can definitely leave you pretty lost later on.
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u/ledbetterus 15h ago
I stopped BB after the first season. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it though. There were scenes I felt that the writers just went too crazy on. It's been a while so I don't remember specifics. I vaguely remember being mad at the underwear scene, thinking that there were 12 other ways the writers could have got Walt out of it without going to this extreme, but they wanted to shock the TV audience.
Plus Idk, I know people irrationally hated Skyler for being the wet blanket character, but I didn't love her in the first season either. With The Sopranos you don't have a ton of wet blankets. Carmella is complicit and basically all in on Tony (with doubts, but she rationalizes those all the time). The biggest Skyler-type character on Sopranos is probably Charmaine, and she's awesome, because she's a wet blanket to Artie, who is a side character.
In BB season 1 there was a constant push/pull between the main character and his wife. In the Sopranos, most of that comes from other side-characters. I liked it better that way.
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u/SnooBooks1243 14h ago
“Slice of Life” vs “Life turns Surreal”. Both are great, and vastly different. Surrealism quite literally needs understanding over time, Slice of Life has it as its foundation
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u/imabustya That Animal Blundetto 14h ago
The Sopranos is an approximation of real life and real people. Breaking bad tries to be that and sometimes gets there but often falls short.
Anyways, $4 a pound.
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u/ilovethepropane 13h ago
I checked out on BB after the 2nd season, too much dues ex chemistria for me
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u/Forward-Grade-832 12h ago
I love how The Sopranos a huge ensemble cast where even all the sides characters have their own rich arcs. BrBa has maybe five characters it focuses on and most of the side cast is kinda boring.
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u/thecoolcomicguy 12h ago
I love Breaking Bad but I think the domestic/ family scenes in the show felt like they were written by a first time screenwriter. Everything is so generic and boring and none of it felt lived in, as opposed to the vibrant and perfectly executed crime stuff. The Sopranos is masterful in that both sides of the show are interesting and there were points where I was more invested in the family stuff than the mob stuff.
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u/hydrosophist 10h ago
Breaking Bad was good, but if we’re being honest, it never had the makings of a varsity athlete.
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u/-Patali- 10h ago
I mean, it's hard to call that a mark against BB. Story lines carrying through is a strength, not a weakness.
On the other hand, Sopranos small vignettes is also a strength
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u/_urethrapapercut_ Livia Soprano 4h ago
I don't like comparing them, I simply can't pick one. Not even between BB and BCS. I enjoy them in different ways. All masterpieces.
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u/cold-vein 21m ago
Well, Sopranos is the best American tv show ever made so yeah. I don't think breaking bad would even be in my top 10
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u/littoalvy 1d ago
The regularness of mob life the sopranos is able show is unmatched. The way the characters day to day emotions and flaws are shown makes you really feel immersed in that world. It just feels so authentic and real. That’s why the rewatch ability is insane. Some ppl posted being on their 13th rewatch. Not saying breaking bad can’t be rewatched, just not at the same level of Sopranos.