Is Breaking Bad the greatest TV series not on TV? Despite numerous plaudits across the UK press over the past few months – Dom Jolly describes it as the greatest TV series of all time, while Charlie Brooker in The Guardian referred to it as “the best crime drama ever made” - US drama series Breaking Bad is only available in this country on DVD boxset or via streaming sites such as Netflix.
Created by Vince Gilligan and staring Bryan Cranston as a struggling Albuquerque chemistry teacher who, on learning he has terminal cancer, starts to cook crystal meth to provide for his family before he dies, Breaking Bad may never really have been a realistic prime-time rival to Downton Abbey. However it does seem strange a series that has won seven Emmys can’t find a home on British TV.
We’re used to analysisng how satellite and cable channels have transformed the old terrestial TV hegemony. Shows such as Mad Men have won mainstream acclaim without being shown on the traditional channels. While perhaps the most lauded US drama of them all, the Wire, bounced hapazzardly around late night BBC2 schedules in relative obscurity before finding a wider following on boxset.
Breaking Bad however seems to have taken things one stage further by not actually being on TV at all. Channel 5 screened series 1 and 2 but seemed to have given up by season 3 and the recently released seasons 4 and 5 are only available on Netflix. However, does it matter?
For Breaking Bad fans probably not. Those already followers of the show will stream, download or buy the box set. With iPlayer, TiVo, 4OD and other catch up services, TV is not really just about TV”s anymore. Ultimately Breaking Bad is a niche show with a bigger cultural cachet than it has ever had viewers. But it does seem a shame a show that raises the bar of what a TV series can be isn’t embraced by the medium for which it was created.
Yet as platforms and formats continue to merge such issues will probably become less relevant. If you’re watching an internet enabled TV, it doesn’t matter if you’re watching Lovefilm or Film4; content is key. Until then, Dr Who star Matt Smith mused about Breaking Bad meets the Timelord being his fantasy crossover episode. However whether the Tardis will find itself as the ultimate mobile meth lab in the New Mexico desert remains to be seen…
Post by Tim Kerr, Joint Managing Director @ TNR Communications
