The 5 seasons stint of Walter White and Jesse Pink, Breaking Bad, remain one of the most popular and iconic shows of all time.
The show which originally aired from 2008 to 2013, involves the entry of a chemistry teacher into the world of crime, making crystal meth with his former student when he gets diagnosed with cancer and wants to build up some funds for his family before he dies.
The fact that Breaking Bad aired its last episode 7 years ago would bring nostalgia to the fans who watched the show during its original run, but the show has garnered a lot of fans over the years after the end of its run.
Well, if you have just finished with Breaking Bad or even if a Walter White meme urged you to look for something similar to the series, here is a list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad that might fulfil your need for Breaking Bad-Esque drama:
Better Call Saul
The series follows the life of Jimmy McGill, who might be familiar to as Saul Goodman, Walter White’s Lawyer. As the show is set prior to the events of Breaking Bad, we get to see how Saul Goodman became a lawyer and plunged into the life of crime even when he wasn’t known as Saul but as Jimmy.
Many of the characters from Breaking Bad make an appearance in the spinoff such as Gus Fring, Tuco, and Hector Salamanca and Mike Ehrmantraut.
The show also has a wide array of original cast members such as Chuck, Saul/Jimmy’s brother; Nacho, a Salamanca’s drug business member, and also Kim, Jimmy’s friend all of whom serve as great additions to the storyline. This one definitely makes our list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad!
Better Caul Saul is also available to watch on Netflix much like Breaking Bad. If you don’t have time to watch all the seasons, you can read our Better Call Saul recap post here!
Deadwood
While some of the character arcs in the story are based on real people, most of the show is fictional, the show is one of the most realistic depictions of the Wild West. The show is basically Westworld if Westworld was stripped of all of its technological advancement.
The reasons for this show being on our list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad is the fact that the most popular theme of Breaking Bad was the moral ambiguity of the characters in the story and if you are one of the fans of the same, Deadwood is a great option for you to watch if you’re looking for the Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad!
The HBO series only ran for three seasons but all the 36 episodes in the series are full of thrilling story-arcs and drama.
The Wire
Well, at first the show might look quite bland but what sets it apart from the other shows and make it one of the most popular series in the genre, and makes it an honourable member of our list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad, is its depiction of reality, the series is very unique in terms of showing its viewers what really happens in the struggle between the drug dealers and the cops.
The series takes its time to build up as the first few episodes introduce us to the characters and give us a hint as to what their narrative is going to be like. Then comes the power struggle between the two sides of the story and we see how they fight to outsmart one another.
While the show might be a little slow for people who like thrillers, it is entirely worth tot watch the shows as it realistically portrays the complexity of the war on drugs and how power, wealth, and crime affects the people and leads to crime and corruption within the society.
Ozark
Ozark is the most similar show to Breaking Bad on this list as it also focusses on a normal family who gets caught up in the world of crime. Sounds a lot like Breaking Bad, doesn’t it? Precisely why it made it to our list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad! It has just been renewed for a fourth season. Read about it here!
When the lead character Marty Bryde played by Bateman gets into some trouble with a drug lord, he decides to shift with his family to Ozark.
Here Marty comes up with the plan to pay off the money he owes by starting a money-laundering scheme but the plan eventually goes sideways bringing more trouble to Marty and his family.
The show has everything to subdue your craving of Breaking Bad, drugs; an average family, and down to a funny but lovable sidekick.
The Sopranos
Well, The Sopranos is one show without which this list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad would remain incomplete; the show is renowned critically for its writing, the quality of production, and of course the gripping storyline of the show.
The show ran for 6 seasons and followed the story of the mobster Tony Soprano and how he tries to maintain an equilibrium between his criminal enterprise and his big family.
This drama by David Chase came to an abrupt end in 2007 but is still regarded as one of the best shows of all time and is worth a watch if you are a fan of Breaking Bad or even a fan of a crime thriller.
While the list of Top 5 TV Shows Like Breaking Bad contains some popular shows that match with the storyline of Breaking Bad, some other titles that you might want to check out are; Narcos, Boardwalk Empire, Sons of Anarchy, Peaky Blinders.
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