Television POLL: Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones?

[Van Piorsing]

Tyrion Lannister vs Walter White ? Love them both. It's easy to make the poll when GoT just had a very rushed decisive season and most likely will be judged on that aspect, but regularity of pacing and events happening in Breaking Bad feels so organic and every season merged the plot beautifuly. Better Call Saul expands the perspective even more and I really hope GoT spin-offs will at least try to get on that level.

BB's episode with a fly for me is on same level as the best/weirdest classic X-Files episodes, but then again some battles and buildups leading to it in GoT was Lord of the Rings level production.

Game of Thrones was sabotaged by bad writing at the end and in that aspect I prefer Black Sails over it but GoT is still at the very top for me, so the differences between quality of both shows don't feel imo as drastic as people could think.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Sopranos is the greatest TV show ever.

Or season 2 to season 8 of the Simpsons.

One of those.

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

It was very close for a long time although I probably always just favoured Breaking Bad.

Now though, I'd be amazed if anyone picked Game of Thrones.

Not going to say any specific spoilers but Breaking Bad had maybe the greatest ending to a TV show ever that was satisfying , felt realistic in that world and felt true to all the characters.

The game of thrones ending was pretty shite.

Nah. The Wire and Mad Men were superior writing and a lot of international shows are better endings (especially the Asian ones that are written for 40-50 episodes also European shows like Money Heist, Engrenages, Romanzo Criminale)

 

[PoTMS]

Game of Thrones was on its way to becoming the best TV show of all time until D&D ran out of book content.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Breaking Bad was always a country mile better than GoT. Even though it lost the run of itself a bit towards the end.

Game of Thrones is/was good fun but has always been silly as feck. Haven't watched the final episode but doesn't sound as though it's going to change my opinion!

EDIT: GoT set-pieces have always been amazing, mind you. But takes more than amazing set-pieces to make really good telly.

 

[Skills]

Season 2-5 of Thrones is better than any season of Breaking Bad for me but the rest of Breaking Bad was better.

For me though the best US show in the 2010s is Mr. Robot easily.

The Wire and Mad Men are still the best two US dramas of all time.

Breaking Bad S4 is the best bit of television I've watched.

 

[Maagge]

I couldn't get through more than 3 episodes of Breaking Bad.

I'd say give it six episodes before you give up.

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

Breaking Bad S4 is the best bit of television I've watched.

I enjoyed it a lot but it wasn't on the level of The Wire, Mad Men, Money Heist, Nirvana in Fire, Gomorra, and about a dozen other of my top shows from around the world.

 

[Kopral Jono]

The Sopranos takes the cake for me and by some margin.

I couldn't get into Game of Thrones even after watching the first two seasons. Breaking Bad is slightly better, but again I didn't finish it; something about it is a bit off in my opinion.

 

[Scarecrow]

Breaking Bad. GoT is more entertaining but it's a tier below, in terms of overall quality.

Then again, it depends on what you value most, doesn't it.

 

[Marcelinho87]

I am only on S5E10 of GoT and upto now I have found it quite average with a few excellent episodes sprinkled in.

Breaking Bad got better and better as it went on so BB gets the vote for me.

The Sopranos is better than both though, by a long, long way.

 

[Interval]

The Wire
Sopranos
Band of Brothers
Breaking bad
.
.
.
Game of thrones

It's not even close

 

[harms]

I find the comparison weird, the premises of the shows and the respective genre couldn't be more different. As a cultural phenomena, Game of Thrones is bigger.

Obviously the screenplay and the character development in Breaking Bad was better, and there were no significant drops in quality in the last seasons, like we've seen in Game of Thrones. But then it all happened in modern Albuquerque and you've only had a handful of recurring characters on the show — while there were probably a few hundreds of introduced characters in Game of Thrones and we've seen so many locations on 3 continents.

The amount of fantastic work on Game of Thrones universe can't be overlooked. Costumes, decorations, the way that they've built the whole of Kings Landing for that final battle is incredible. Breaking Bad never got close to that level of cinematography — but not because it's inferior, just because it didn't need to.

 

[shabadu84]

GoT at its best was all about the universe, with a rich history and backstory, that GRRM created. But in the end, IMO, the conclusion of the story wasn't particularly satisfying nor did it live up to the backstory of the world he created..

Breaking Bad was all about one man's rise and fall and how it affected those around him. It paid off on that premise and did so in a generally satisfying way. And the final season tied the loose ends up while continuing to ramp up the tension. Not sure I've had such a visceral reaction to a show. Even on rewatches, the hairs are standing up on my neck during the major scenes. I don't think I can say that for GoT since probably something like The Red Wedding.

 

[Cassidy]

Breaking bad by a long way, as soon as GOT deviated from the original story it was downhill

 

[Moiraine]

I will cut you.

Breaking Bad isn’t even that good, people just like it because they think drugs are cool.

Oh my goodness, where did you get this idea from.

I have not even smoked in my life, not even one puff of anything, I literally hate drugs but Breaking bad was the best thing ever on TV.

You surely are a wire fan.

 

[Ramshock]

Whats better folks Option A or B?

Cafe.... C...no D is...nah what about E and F?

Predictable

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Thrones was epic but got too big.

I kind of was a Breaking Bad sceptic mainly because of the hipster circle jerk around it. It was decent enough though.

 

[MDFC Manager]

Breaking Bad, of course.

The ending was GOAT level TV.

 

[Sweet Square]

Twin Peaks : The Return ?

 

[Kopral Jono]

GoT at its best was all about the universe, with a rich history and backstory, that GRRM created. But in the end, IMO, the conclusion of the story wasn't particularly satisfying nor did it live up to the backstory of the world he created..

Breaking Bad was all about one man's rise and fall and how it affected those around him. It paid off on that premise and did so in a generally satisfying way. And the final season tied the loose ends up while continuing to ramp up the tension. Not sure I've had such a visceral reaction to a show. Even on rewatches, the hairs are standing up on my neck during the major scenes. I don't think I can say that for GoT since probably something like The Red Wedding.

Bolded is a very important point. As someone who stopped watching Game of Thrones after a couple of seasons, in my opinion the proverbial engine of the show is its universe and not its storylines and arcs, which I (rather controversially) think is a bit loopy.

And unlike most folks who followed the show I couldn't fully buy into the universe, so that was that.

 

[esmufc07]

Whats better folks Option A or B?

Cafe.... C...no D is...nah what about E and F?

Predictable

Apt!

 

[bleedred]

The Wire.

 

[Gehrman]

Breaking Bad is better

But I enjoyed watching GOT more, because I love the universe, the characters and the story.

However in terms of objective quality BB is just better and doesn't tail off in terms of writing like GOT for the previous seasons.

The GOT finale was worse than I had ever expected. You'd think that for such a massive show, they would put in some effort to getting the finale right, but apart from the special effects it was trash.

 

[shabadu84]

Bolded is a very important point. As someone who stopped watching Game of Thrones after a couple of seasons, in my opinion the proverbial engine of the show is its universe and not its storylines and arcs, which I (rather controversially) think is a bit loopy.

And unlike most folks who followed the show I couldn't fully buy into the universe, so that was that.

In my own experience, myself and everyone I know who read the books are all disappointed by the way it finished. I know a handful who didn't read the books that are generally fine with how it all ended but they also didn't seem to have as much invested in it in the first place, so the bar was lower for them I think.

With BB, for example, I loved the show but never spent much time considering the possible ways it might all end. So it felt like I was just taking what was being served and simply responding to that. That probably made the eventual ending easier to digest than GoT's.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Whats better folks Option A or B?

Cafe.... C...no D is...nah what about E and F?

Predictable

Well, to be fair, it’s an odd dilemma to present. Even if you’re limiting it to great TV of the last decade and thus excluding some previous HBO greats, you’d still have to include Mad Men at least.

 

[padr81]

Breaking Bad. for me GoT Seasons 1-4 was probably the most I've enjoyed any tv show ever by quite a margin (I'm an AsoiF nerd so thats probably why). But it just ended so bad... Honestly overall now its probably not in my top 10 shows.

Season 8 is the worst finish to big show I've ever seen and I've watched both Dexter and Lost.

 

[NK86]

I’ve never finished Breaking Bad. Loved the first few seasons and then it became very samey samey for me and I think I stopped a few episodes short of the finale. So have to say Game of Thrones but this final season was a disappointment.

Exactly. BB had that repetitive feel to it 3rd season onwards. WW coming close to being caught and then he escapes. Not saying it was bad but GOT, barring the last season is head and shoulders above BB.

 

[Runner]

I prefer GOT purely because I'm not a fan of family dramas. I have lots of respect for BB from what little I've seen and heard they aced the ending which is very difficult to do. On that I'd say BB is the better show.

 

[Solius]

Breaking Bad easily.

 

[Moonred]

Half of GOT is absolute peak television. Even more many would say. But no death scene in GOT ever tops Gus’s death for me. And BB finishes extremely strong.

 

[Shane88]

I prefer GoT and seasons 1-4 shit on Breaking Bad from a great height.

But yeah, they shit the bed on the ending.

 

[peridigm]

Breaking Bad, no question.

 

[Ramshock]

GoT is probably the best tv spectacle ever even with the rushed final 2 seasons.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Half of GOT is absolute peak television. Even more many would say. But no death scene in GOT ever tops Gus’s death for me. And BB finishes extremely strong.

Red Wedding >>> Ned is dead >>> Gus is gone

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Never got in to GoT. I've seen it all as my missus is into it, but it never grabbed me. I was hooked on BB from the start. It's one of few modern dramas that finished strongly, and didn't just end up being dumb as feck, like Lost, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy etc.

 

[Shane88]

Red Wedding >>> Ned is dead >>> Gus is gone

Feck sake, even Oberyn getting popped like a grape was more shocking than ding ding ding Gus.

 

[caid]

I felt like the last couple episodes of Breaking Bad elevated a pretty mediocre show to greatness. Game of Thrones had great moments but theres way too much shit to wade through to get to the mixed bag it offers for it to be great. Breaking Bad for me and I'm not that big a fan of it.

 

[The Firestarter]

Just see Barry for a primer on how drama is supposed to be built up and season endings written.

 

[Damien]

Poll perhaps @Damien.

Added.