I rarely get excited for television shows, especially the dribble that’s on prime time TV. Juvenile humor, laugh tracks, predictable situations, and the same damn story line over and over again. For me unless it’s hockey or Seinfeld re-runs I can probably count the number of shows I’ll watch on one hand. With the main channels consumed by shitty sitcoms and horrible reality shows, it’s kind of tough to find a show that doesn’t dumb you down as a human being. Well after a discussion on a local radio station about top (currently running) TV shows, the hosts seemed to be all in agreement about one show…Breaking Bad.

So after the radio show had aired and some time had passed I was also suggested this show by a friend. Fine! I’ll check it out. I’d saw a few promos and knew kind of what the show was about. I watched the first episode by myself, and decided that was enough. No, not enough of the show, enough before watching it without my fiancee. We were/are both instantly hooked, probably similar to the meth heads on the show. Since this show runs on AMC, you’ll need cable to see it air as scheduled.

Breaking Bad is about a high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who financially struggles to support his wife Skylar (Anna Gunn), handicapped son Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte), and their daughter on the way. Intrigued after seeing the amount of cash apprehended during a meth bust by Walter’s brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris), Walter asks to go on a ride along. During the bust, Walter recognizes a former student turned meth cook, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). This spawns a adventurous, devious, and sometimes comical relationship. The episodes play out like mini movies in my opinion. Each episode runs around 47 minutes long (without commercials) and is filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s a show that leaves you wondering what’s next, anxious to see the following episode. As I’m writing this right now, I’m itching to start Season 2. Of course you can’t watch them out of order, unless you’ve already seen the whole series. Skipping episodes will leave you confused, so you’ll need to stick to the chronological order of their release.

It’s an exhilarating show, a television program where you can strongly connect to the characters. I actually get nervous every time Walter approaches his next situation. You hope for the best for Walter and his family, and even for Jesse, who reminds me of those pothead delinquents in high school. If you haven’t watched this show yet, you’re missing out on some great writing, directing, and acting. It’s a show that’s been criticized as being the best show since the Sopranos. It’s a dark comedy with light-hearted moments, easily relatable and watchable. If you tune in weekly to the Jersey Shore you probably won’t have the brain cells to understand this show. If you’re sick of avoiding the TV because of the awful programs somehow released to the public, Breaking Bad is for you.