Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad ran for 5 seasons from 2008 to 2013 on AMC. It is truly one of the greatest television shows ever and there is little that we can say that hasn’t been said before. It follows the adventures of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher, who gets a cancer diagnosis and decides to get into processing meth to build a nest egg to leave to his family. He is in way over his head at first but eventually rises to become a drug kingpin. Here are a few other shows like Breaking Bad you may have missed that we think you may like. The first three all feature characters who decided to get into drug distribution due to personal circumstances.
Shows Like Breaking Bad – Weeds
Weeds ran for 8 seasons on Showtime from 2005 to 2012. Like Breaking Bad, Weeds featured a main character, Nancy Botwin, played by Mary-Louise Parker, whose husband suddenly dies and she is left to provide for her two sons with no income. In this case, she turns to marijuana, and like Walter White, is in way over her head at first.
Weeds predates Breaking Bad by three years, and fortunately for viewers, Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, was not aware of the show when he was pitching Breaking Bad. The concept of the shows is so similar that Gilligan said in 2012 that he would not have gone forward with Breaking Bad had he known of Weeds at the time.
Weeds is lighter than Breaking Bad and is considered a dark comedy as opposed to a drama like Breaking Bad. It is a good show and we recommend it, but it is not on the level of Breaking Bad. The first few seasons were critically acclaimed, but the show started to go downhill when there was a change in venue. We are trying to avoid giving out too much here. The eight seasons were way too long and the show should have ended sooner.
We liked this show (at least the first few seasons) and believe you will too if you liked Breaking Bad.
See streaming options at Weeds.
Shows Like Breaking Bad – Ozark
Ozark ran for 4 seasons on Netflix from 2017 to 2022. Like Breaking Bad and Weeds, Ozark centers on Marty Byrde (played by Jason Bateman), a Chicago-based financial adviser who, due to circumstances beyond his control, is thrown into performing money laundering for a Mexican drug cartel.
Ozark received 45 Emmy Awards nominations. While still not at the caliber of Breaking Bad, it was an entertaining show with excellent writing and acting and intricate storylines. Unlike Weeds, the series was limited to four seasons, and there was little if any drop-off in quality from beginning to end. Laura Linney played Marty’s wife Wendy, and over time her character became an increasing force in the the show, taking it to another level.
We really liked this show and think you will too if you liked Breaking Bad.
See streaming options at Ozark.
Shows Like Breaking Bad – The Gentlemen
The Gentleman has had one season on Netflix in 2024. There is no information as of this writing whether there will be more seasons. The show is based on an entertaining 2019 movie of the same name, but has little resemblance other than they both deal with illegal drug dealing,
Like the shows listed above, the main character enters the world of drug trafficking with no prior knowledge and has to learn on the job.
The Gentleman has a real bonus for Breaking Bad fans. Giancarlo Esposito has a supporting role similar to Gus Fring and is equally exceptional. We hope there will be more seasons of The Gentleman. If you liked Breaking Bad, we think you will like this show.
See streaming options at The Gentlemen.
Show Just Like Breaking Bad – Better Call Saul
We couldn’t finish our suggestions without recommending Better Call Saul, the prequel show to Breaking Bad. Better Caul Saul ran for 6 seasons on AMC Network from 2015 to 2022.
Unlike most shows, Better Call Saul gets better with every season. The only thing we will say here is this. If you liked Breaking Bad but gave up on Better Call Saul before the third season, give it another chance.
See streaming options at Better Caul Saul.
These are four shows like Breaking Bad we think you will like.
Want to see shows like Narcos? See our post at Narcos.
