“Breaking Bad” fans, the end is nigh. While we’re still high on some of the dankest programming TV has had to offer, I fear I’m already experiencing premature withdrawal symptoms. With only two episodes left in the final season, I am already scrambling to find a new show to binge-watch and hopefully (or at least partially) fill the “Breaking Bad”-sized hole in my heart. There is a silver lining to this dark, looming doom-cloud though: Albuquerque’s greasiest, sleaziest lawyer Saul Goodman will be back in the green-lit spin-off, tentatively titled “Better Call Saul.” Even if the new show is every bit as rich and entrancing as “Breaking Bad,” it could be months, even years before we see Bob Odenkirk (“Movie 43”) don the comb-over and help New Mexico’s slimiest evade the law. But until then, if you’re like me and can’t wait to get your fix, try giving these TV shows a shot. While they may not be up to the standards of Heisenberg’s “blue sky” cook, these shows can be just as addictive and terrible for your life as some good meth.
SHOW: “The Sopranos” (1999-2007)
Number of seasons: 6
Basic premise: Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini “Enough Said”) is both the head of his family and the head of “his Family,” capisce? Soprano tries to balance his life between his family and the DeCavalcante crime family that he runs, all while evading the FBI and other crime-syndicates that want him out of the picture.
How it’s similar to Breaking Bad: Did any of that sound familiar? Replace “meth-empire” with “mafia” and bingo-bongo, you’ve got “The Sopranos.” I’m glossing over hundreds of themes, details, characters and plot points, but “The Sopranos” was one of the most watched and discussed shows of its time. And rightly so. The most important question that will draw the lines between TV enthusiasts will be Team Heisenberg or Team Tony?
SHOW: “The Wire” (2002-2008)
Number of seasons: 5
Basic premise: This gritty crime-drama investigates the lives of the people on both sides of the law in Baltimore, Maryland, and how their affiliation to institutions make up the typical “American city.” The first season starts primarily with the binary between the Baltimore police department and the drug trade, but as the seasons progress, more and more institutions — like the media, government and public school school system — are added to the mix.
How it’s similar to Breaking Bad: Drug dealers, cops who try to bust them, lawyers — you’re half-way to Breaking Bad already. If you liked Walt’s rise to power and were incredibly taken by the backstories and “colorful” characters in the meth game, then you must give “The Wire” a chance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zweq4ZabNd8
SHOW: Boardwalk Empire (2010-present)
Number of seasons: 4 (currently airing)
Basic premise: It’s the 1920s and the Volstead Act has just made alcohol illegal in the United States. Gangsters all across the country seize this opportunity to get hooch to the people and make a lot of moolah doing so. The story is centered on Eunuch Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi “Khumba”) and his reign as bootlegger and crime boss of the Atlantic City boardwalk.
How it’s similar to Breaking Bad: Again, we have another flawed male protagonist who is heavily involved with the criminal underworld. We also get to see a (mostly) historically accurate depiction of the illegal alcohol trade, and how it creates power and money for those involved. While he’s no Heisenberg, Buscemi’s “Nucky” Thompson can be just as cunning, calculating and cold-blooded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sl4Z6r3QKY
SHOW: Game of Thrones (2011-present)
Number of seasons: 3 (season 4 airs in 2014)
Basic premise: Based off George R.R. Martin’s books, “Game of Thrones” is a show about various armies and factions fighting for control of a continent on the verge of turmoil. That is the most general premise I give before nerding out about how great of a character Tyrion Lanaster the Imp is, or going into how much of a boss Daenerys Targarian and her three dragons are, or what the hell is going to happen with all of those frost-zombies from north of the Wall.
How it’s similar to Breaking Bad: What does a show about a New Mexican drug lord have in common with a show about sword fighting, dragons and zombies? On a surface level, not too much. That being said, “GoT,” like “Breaking Bad,” is one of the most hyped and talked about shows on TV. Odds are you couldn’t go on the Internet a couple months ago without hearing something about a “Red Wedding” (no spoilers here). “GoT” and “Breaking Bad” are both shows that are so eventful and momentous in their story arcs that people can’t help but discuss around the water cooler what they just witnessed and speculate about what’s coming next.
