They can’t make ’em like they used to. That saying applies to anything and everything, but nowadays, it’s more commonly used to refer to movies and TV shows, which have sadly declined in quality and quantity over the last decade or so. The early 2000s gave us some of the greatest entertainment of the 21st century, giving birth to groundbreaking and genre-defining shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, Lost, and Breaking Bad (major emphasis on that last one). But as we solemnly address the 10-year anniversary of Breaking Bad‘s final episode in September 2023, we’re reminded of Walter and Jesse’s impact on the television industry, namely that of drama-oriented shows.
Sadly, Breaking Bad produced a kind of magic that isn’t easily replicated. It might have been slow-starting (and any fan will tell you the same), but as the seasons progressed, the show’s fandom expanded, reaching all corners of the globe. Soon enough, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul went from minor-league actors to household names. And they’re not the only ones — co-stars Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, and Giancarlo Esposito all earned international recognition for their portrayals of Skyler, Hank, and Gus, respectively.
By the show’s fourth and fifth seasons, it was made available on Netflix, and the viewership skyrocketed. Ever since concluding in 2013, Breaking Bad has been lauded as one of the greatest TV shows ever made, which isn’t at all a stretch of the imagination. But as we mentioned before, the formula that made Breaking Bad so successful has expired, and we’re left with reject after reject as far as finding the next ‘IT’ thing.
We could chalk this up to many things, but the slow-burn attraction that made half the globe gravitate toward Breaking Bad just wouldn’t work for whatever pitiful excuse for a TV show the streaming services are pumping out nowadays. Paramount Plus recently canceled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, which is an obvious Grease spin-off, and we aren’t left scratching our heads as to why that fell through the pipeline.
In summary, corporations don’t care for long-lasting fame or cult-classic status, they’d much rather dish out pointless spin-off after snooze-fest prequel and call it a day. So long as it’s making money, that’s good enough for them. And that doesn’t make a lick of sense, especially if these so-called “original” ideas aren’t even getting made.
There might never be another Breaking Bad for as long as we live, but at least there’s such a thing as reruns.