Breaking Bad vs The Sopranos

[SquidPuppet]

I saw this post by DJ and it made me wonder what the TV loving public would vote?

I LOVED both shows but voted Breaking Bad because of the journey of change that Walt was on. I also dug the variety of villains he faced.

What's your vote and why?

Originally Posted by djgeneral

They’re both groundbreaking cable dramas about a crime lord who tries to keep his suburban family together while building his empire. Both have also often been called the best drama series of all time. In one corner: HBO’s The Sopranos (1999-2007), which pioneered the serialized anti-hero drama trend. In the other: AMC’s Breaking Bad (2008-2013), which gathered viewers and critical esteem with each passing season until some declared that it had surpassed its predecessor.

Which show was the best? Will the New Jersey or New Mexico crime boss take the crown? We’ll make the case for each—then you’re decide who wins.

Why The Sopranos should win: Simply put, Breaking Bad—and plenty of other shows—wouldn’t exist without the The Sopranos. David Chase’s brilliant drama took a well-worn movie genre and turned it into a weekly must-watch series, fronted by James Gandolfini‘s mesmerizing Tony Soprano. The king of anti-heroes, Tony was a rumbling storm cloud of a man who could shift from oafish charm to frightening rage to heartbreaking self-pity at the drop of a cannoli.

Refusing to fall into a “whack of the week” mob drama trap, The Sopranos took bold creative risks with its narrative (remember Tony trapped in purgatory during his coma arc?) and provided a series finale that—love it or hate it—is still debated by fans to this day.

Breaking Bad was less escapist and less fun — a tale of cancer and meth with a stern protagonist who wasn’t nearly as likable or multifaceted as Tony. And while Breaking Bad fans grew frustrated with Skyler White (Anna Gunn), Sopranos‘ Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) frequently held her own against her husband and was every bit as complex as he was. Finally, season 5’s “Long Term Parking”—which chronicled the agonizing whacking of Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo)—is arguably the best character-death episode in TV history.

Why Breaking Bad should win: Breaking Bad’s writing and acting equaled The Sopranos, but added a superior story and more compelling character arc. While Tony ambled from one season to the next, dealing with threats as they arose, Breaking Bad famously told the story of how “Mr. Chips turns into Scarface.”

We met Walter White as modest and fearful chemistry teacher. His journey to becoming infamous meth kingpin Heisenberg is a riveting progression that impacts everybody around him. Creator Vince Gilligan’s intense focus on the show’s storyline meant nearly every hour advanced the series’ master plot and ended with a cliffhanger. Whereas after Sopranos whacked Adriana, the show self-indulgently meandered for its final two seasons.

Plus, Tony never faced an adversary more thrilling than chicken-restaurant meth lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). And regardless of what Chase meant by The Sopranos’ ending, can it really be that great if it left so many fans unsatisfied? Breaking Bad‘s finale may not have been the show’s highest note, but its final season featured several of the show’s finest hours (especially the incomparable “Ozymandias”).

http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/08/13/th...-breaking-bad/

[Todd Tomorrow]

Though I enjoyed it tremendously while it was on, in retrospect BB doesn't hold up as well as The Sopranos does. Once you stop to think about it, much about BB doesn't make sense. None of Walter White's business plan for top quality meth works in the real world. Meth addicts are not discerning consumers and the product never reaches the user in pure form, everybody in the chain takes a cut, so in the end it doesn't matter whether the product is top grade or passable. The Sopranos was the show that put quality cable drama on the map and which revolutionised modern TV drama, so it comes out top for me.

[Hucksta G]

Definitely Sopranos for me, though they would probably both be in my top five TV shows of all time with Sopranos being number one and BB being number 5. I just found the writing to be better on The Sopranos and the whole cast of characters, too, it feels like a classic gangster film to me.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Hucksta G

Definitely Sopranos for me, though they would probably both be in my top five TV shows of all time with Sopranos being number one and BB being number 5. I just found the writing to be better on The Sopranos and the whole cast of characters, too, it feels like a classic gangster film to me.

What would numbers 2-4 be?

[Hucksta G]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

What would numbers 2-4 be?

The Wire, Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire

[Infernal King]

Breaking Bad for me and it isn't even close. BB had a consistently high quality all the way through but The Sopranos got worse every year. I couldn't wait to finish BB because of how intense it got while Sopranos I had to force myself to finish (and it wasn't worth it). Often, Gandolfini's performance was the only thing I would find myself really liking about that show when the going got rough after about 2 seasons.

Breaking Bad: One of the few shows that only got better over time and was always good. Much better supporting performances.

The Sopranos: Most overrated TV show of all time, really nosedived in quality a few seasons in. RIP James Gandolfini.

e: Also, I liked how original Breaking Bad was. Sopranos, I've seen it done before and better (Godfather, Goodfellas).

[movielib]

Breaking Bad: the best TV show of all time

The Sopranos: in the top 25 or so

[terp_fan99]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

The Sopranos got worse every year. I couldn't wait to finish BB because of how intense it got while Sopranos I had to force myself to finish (and it wasn't worth it).

Completely agree with this. I was obsessed with The Sopranos the first few seasons and to this day I've still never finished the series. I just couldn't force myself through the last season.

[Axl Rose]

Breaking Bad is a very addicting show

i think i watched it in 2 weeks where it took me a year to finish The Sopranos

however i think Sopranos is the more rewatchable one

[TheLaughingMann]

I love both shows. I think BB has a slow start with a few good bits in it, then hits its stride and gets better and better. As a story, it's great.

Sopranos, I know they tend to keep to the whole "gradual, general plot is secondary and in the background while we got more meaningful, episode of the week stuff" angle going. But I found myself enjoying a lot of the interactions. Like Goodfellas and Casino and The Departed, it exemplifies some dark humor...but it's still enjoyable.

I'm near to finishing Sopranos to its entirety, but I will say that Sopranos has the better entertainment feel to it.

[buck1973]

I voted the Sopranos. It changed tv drama and put HBO series on the map. Without it you wouldn't have breaking bad or virtually any of the best dramas on cable and netflix. To be honest i never finished breaking bad. I didn't dislike it but it didn't hold my interest.

[Canada]

Soprano's was one of the most influential TV shows ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itkAVaH_k7Q

[JackKnightStarman]

Without the Soprano's, there is NO Breaking Bad, on ANY network, even AMC.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[A Tortured Duckling]

Sopranos for me, for sure. It's the first TV show I truly enjoyed, and I have re-watched the entire thing over 10 times. That said, I do love Breaking Bad, and I recently finished that for the 3rd time. It just keeps getting better.

[hoogoosedmoose41]

I never saw either show when originally aired.. I saw them both from the BD sets and more or less binge watched both of them last winter.. i watched BB first and the Sopranos second. The sopranos came first and was very good but it missed the mark quite often while BB rarely missed the mark and you could tell it had a vision it knew what it was not so much with the later sopranos episodes.

I love both shows immensely .. BB has more of a shock factor to it.. it starts out slow and just got better and better.. i think it peaked the fourth season but season 5 was amazing as well. Back in high school (class of 84) i was a moderately serious pothead so i related well to the stoner dudes on the show, Badger and Skinny Pete were awesome!

The sopranos more or less started out strong out of the gate then faded as time went on.. the dark humor, the use of music to set mood was amazing.. BB wasn't bad with this either.. Sopranos had a much larger cast and a lot of big name actors in its supporting cast. the actors convinced you they were all total douchebags but at the same time they were all likable characters.. well mostly..

From what history ive done on the show there was some production problems with the show that slowed it down and i think it hurt the show.. there was a two year gap from season 4 to season 5 and then another two year gap from season 5 to 6. You could really tell too because because it seemed like the kids just grew up in no time.. season 6 the plot involved Tonys son too much.. i hated his story-line and he was painful to watch as an actor..

The Sopranos - Ralph Cifaretto Prank Call - YouTube

[Tanktop]

Breakng Bad evry time.

[elecrofunk]

Sopranos for me. The dark humor was so irresistible, Ralph's crank call to Paulie's mother comes to mind.

[djzero]

Love them both

[Evil-Link]

Originally Posted by movielib

Breaking Bad: the best TV show of all time

I have to grin every time i read this. Breaking Bad is a very well done Series with great writing and character development. But filming has so much more to offer - visual, atmosphere, style, music....in my opinion a really outstanding work, you have to experience.

The titel best TV Series of all time deserves something groundbreaking on many levels, such as Twin Peaks or Cowboy Bebop or The Wire. This Series are amazing works! BB is definitely great, but those are art.

[jackranderson]

Originally Posted by Evil-Link

I have to grin every time i read this. Breaking Bad is a very well done Series with great writing and character development. But filming has so much more to offer - visual, atmosphere, style, music....in my opinion a really outstanding work, you have to experience.

The titel best TV Series of all time deserves something groundbreaking on many levels, such as Twin Peaks or Cowboy Bebop or The Wire. This Series are amazing works! BB is definitely great, but those are art.

I’m not sure why that would make you grin..if those are art then so is Breaking Bad.

You bring up visuals, atmosphere, style and music - all of which Breaking Bad excels at and then some, certainly more than The Wire which is far from visually impressive.

I’d also say Twin Peaks and The Wire suffer with inconsistency, although for Twin Peaks that’s not David Lynch’s fault at all.

All are great shows though, no need to be snobby.