Submitted by RichAf26 t3_10kc1it in television
To those who’ve watched both series in full, which one do you think is better, and why so? I wish this forum allowed the polling option so we can get tons of votes and see which show wins.
Comments
tinoynk t1_j5pnk53 wrote
Breaking Bad is probably the best pure thriller TV series I've seen, but The Sopranos does so much more in terms of thematic and psychological depth and incredibly nuanced characterizations.
BeefSupremeBack t1_j5pnpl0 wrote
Breaking bad and it’s not close honestly. And I loved sopranos. BB didn’t have a bad episode. I think parts of season 5 and first half of season 6 of sopranos were only good not great.
Kylestache t1_j5pnzi7 wrote
Gabagool? Over heeeeyah.
Darkknight101 t1_j5po1fc wrote
I love both dearly but I've got to give it to The Sopranos. Between the writing and the performances, it's really tough to beat.
I will say Breaking Bad had the better ending though.
RichAf26 OP t1_j5po63l wrote
Not close? That’s wild. Thanks for sharing your opinion though.
NightsOfFellini t1_j5poahk wrote
Sopranos and it's not even close. Breaking Bad is a good thriller, Sopranos is one of the best (mob) comedies, has the best dissections of masculinity, and is probably the best mob story since Goodfellas.
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Spangle99 t1_j5pofof wrote
Two different kettles of fish that I loved equally.
ArtistWhoStarves t1_j5poq48 wrote
I can understand both sides on this, but either side saying "not even close" is purely asinine behaviour. I'm in the breaking bad camp, but I can fully understand why anyone would say the sopranos is better. They have great arguments.
Howie-Dowin t1_j5poxeo wrote
They are both great
Gopokes34 t1_j5pp2si wrote
I'd have to say Breaking Bad for me. I know they are different types of stories but BB just did a great job of making me super interested in the next episode. Mad Men was a lot more like Sopranos to me. Love all 3 of the shows, but BB wins.
bobtheflob t1_j5pp7ly wrote
Those are two amazing shows with arguably the two best lead performances ever. It's hard to overstate how important The Sopranos was to the TV landscape. It kicked off the golden age of television. I know that there were some precursors such as Oz and Homicide: Life on the Streets, but The Sopranos was the show most responsible for the era of prestige TV because it was that good.
That being said, they were still working out some kinks with how to do a prestige TV show. It had a few too many episodes in each season, which meant that they had a few filler episodes. Also the cgi mom was really cringey.
Breaking Bad built off of the Sopranos in many ways and is one of the most focused, and well-crafted shows that you will ever see. I would also throw Better Call Saul in there. It's more of a slow burn at the start, but it's hard to separate it from Breaking Bad now.
BeefSupremeBack t1_j5ppeva wrote
I think the sopranos for the time it came out was epic. Truly exceptional. It’s in my top 5 for sure. The wire imo is slightly better. BB is the best show ever to me. Not a single dull episode unlike most shows. That to me puts it on top. Plus the ending of sopranos was mediocre
PropJoe421 t1_j5pqp27 wrote
I think I enjoyed Sopranos more, a little more fun, a little more episodic than BB. I like it's wide cast of characters vs the more focused 5-10 characters of BB.
BB had the better writing and cinematography.
Cocaine_Turkey t1_j5prgkz wrote
Sopranos walked so that Breaking Bad could fly. It popularized the complex, flawed male protagonist/anti-hero, which is what allowed BB to take it to the next level.
jogoso2014 t1_j5ps0ru wrote
I liked Sopranos more.
That is the answer and the reason lol.
RichAf26 OP t1_j5ps6le wrote
Come on lol. “Fly” was a pretty bad episode
jmsturm t1_j5psblp wrote
I think the main difference for me is the direction the quality of the series took during its run.
Generally the earlier seasons of Sopranos are better than the later ones, and for Breaking Bad it is the opposite.
So if you are binging them, Breaking Bad is a better watch.
Both are top ten, maybe top five all time hour long dramas
austenjg t1_j5pstjh wrote
For me it’s Breaking Bad, I love a good storyline and Breaking Bad is more plot focused than The Sopranos.
The Sopranos was more of a character study, and is probably the best tv show in that aspect.
burner4internet t1_j5pt0d3 wrote
Better Call Saul
Mud_Landry t1_j5punqq wrote
I’ve watch The sopranos like 10 times all the way thru, breaking bad I had trouble even getting thru a single rewatch. The characters just aren’t as watchable. Plus Sopranos has an element of dark humor that’s hard to beat. Both are excellent television but I’ll take T and the boys any day of the week.
Mud_Landry t1_j5pv5bi wrote
My opinion of BeefSupremeBack as a man, has just plummeted…
FelineSwindler t1_j5pvmfw wrote
Yeah I think the reason why The Sopranos fell a little flat for me was because I watched Breaking Bad first. I still appreciate what it did for TV though.
I did love the ending surprisingly enough.
Chataboutgames t1_j5pvukw wrote
Estimation*
ArchDucky t1_j5pwupu wrote
Breaking Bad is better because it has a real proper ending. They had the balls to stop making it and end it. They ended it good and proper.
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warrenmax12 t1_j5pxu80 wrote
The Sopranos easy. Breaking Bad isn’t even the best AMC show. That would be Mad Men.
pawdog t1_j5py0ss wrote
Breaking Bad, easy. While I liked the Sopranos I think it's quite overrated. It barely makes my top 10.
Nogster t1_j5pym85 wrote
Breaking Bad. Livea should have been recast on Sopranos and it misses a beat because of the altered storyline. Janice never filled the void.
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earhere t1_j5pzg3j wrote
I think Sopranos is the better show.
NoOneShallPassHassan t1_j5pzijq wrote
Sharp as a fucking cue ball, this one.
jrbcnchezbrg t1_j5pzm2u wrote
One time when I went in to open up and there you were your head half in the toilet hair in the toilet water….
Disgusting.
RichAf26 OP t1_j5pzpc1 wrote
No, you’re just trying to make sense of a bad episode lol.
Chataboutgames t1_j5pzrdd wrote
I wouldn't even say it's to the "next level." Walter White isn't some tony Soprano upgrade.
Chataboutgames t1_j5pzy2r wrote
The claim to fame is the insane level of nuance to all of the characters that they really let develop over the seasons through ebbs and flows beyond just "every season higher stakes and more action packed than the last."
And the once in a generation performances.
Chataboutgames t1_j5q05d4 wrote
Uhhh what? You don't have to like the Sopranos ending, but they literally stopped making it and ended it. How did that lack "balls?" Hell, they went a route that pissed a lot of people off, feels "balzier" than Walter getting to play hero at the end.
Chataboutgames t1_j5q0dn3 wrote
I think part of the point of The Sopranos is to have filler episodes. In no world would the show be better off without "Pine Barrens." It wasn't designed to tell a singular, tight, high suspense narrative. It was designed to be very concerned with the day to day lives and emotions of these characters.
Chataboutgames t1_j5q0idb wrote
Yeah I get the bit. I just found it boring and really poorly timed given how it threw off the season's pacing and tension build.
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Fiveseconds5 t1_j5q1rg3 wrote
I like the sopranos quite a bit, just watched it for the first time this year. In some ways it can feel a little dated in its storytelling but it has so many great thematic and character driven moments that elevate it.
And I know this is heresy but I just don’t care for Breaking Bad. Would never call it a bad show by any means but I’ve tried to watch it three times now and the furthest I’ve made it is through the end of the second season. Just doesn’t do much for me personally.
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ReadyProposal t1_j5q5jat wrote
Tony and Walt are pretty equally loathsome. What are you even talking about?
ReadyProposal t1_j5q5z4g wrote
You don't get the terms you're using, for sure: "Developed" is not a synonym for "improved." A person sinking into their self-involvement and paranoia is development, it's just not "growth."
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ReadyProposal t1_j5q6bn5 wrote
They're not really comparable. The stories are designed to do very very different things. Both excellent, but there are dozens of excellent shows. This endless "which is best" discussion not only misses the entire point of art, it's also just an excuse to fluff your ego without actually doing anything.
TemurTron t1_j5q8hd6 wrote
I think Breaking Bad is the better show overall, but Sopranos is much more enjoyable to watch.
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MUCHO2000 t1_j5qaq65 wrote
Sopranos is overrated. Yes, it's a great show. However it was just a twist on a tired trope and the idea that you can ask if it's better than breaking bad is a joke.
Now if you made me choose between The Wire and Breaking Bad it would be a closer contest with the winner being a matter of taste.
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skinsrich t1_j5qjrxd wrote
Breaking Bad was good throughout.
Sopranos started good, but ended like shit.
tehgangsta t1_j5qmxfu wrote
Sopranos for me, no doubt. Sopranos has that comedy touch that makes it unique imo
bigmadbird t1_j5qpb4e wrote
I love both of the shows but I’d argue wanting to see the next episode is just a product of cliff hanger tv like to me each sopranos episode is like a movie where as breaking bad I had to watch it all in bursts cause I was so addicted to it
I do like breaking bad more though.
TheGunslinger_TX t1_j5qq6hp wrote
The Sopranos, because of a few reasons.
My father, may he rest in peace, introduced me to the show and we bonded profoundly over it. Plus, Tony has some mannerisms that remind me of my dad, so it makes me feel better to see those mannerisms again. Also, I credit The Sopranos for paving the way for the morally gray masterpiece that is BrBa, and Better Call Saul, for that matter.
I absolutely adore Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but The Sopranos walked so Vince Gilligan could fly.
Some of the most important media of the 21st century, and that's a hill I'm happy to die on.
jazzmaster4000 t1_j5qtvwq wrote
They're talking about how sopranos as a show laid the groundwork so that walt could even be brought to screen. It isn'tt a critique of either character
yodimboi t1_j5qunrg wrote
I don't understand why one has to be better than the other. They're both equally great. They're also very different from each other, while also being very similar. Their basic stories aren't that different but the approach to storytelling is. The Sopranos is a pure in depth character study of the main character and everyone around him. Breaking Bad seems to be more focused on a few characters, but it also wants to tell an overarching story. In The Sopranos it's like you're watching Tony go through every day life problems, but the mobster version. In Breaking Bad there's this sense of buildup and the expectation of a climax at some point. There's this sende of greatness whereas in The Sopranos the show doesn't seem to care about it that much. While they're similar, I wouldn't watch them interchangeably.
gabagool_soprano t1_j5qvjgv wrote
Breaking bad has a better story, Sopranos has better characters. Both are great but Sopranos holds up better on rewatch.
improper84 t1_j5qyb22 wrote
I think The Sopranos is a better overall show, but I enjoy Breaking Bad more.
The Wire is the reigning, defending champ, though, and I'm not sure it'll ever be dethroned.
imburter t1_j5qyesq wrote
The Sopranos is the most rewatchable show to me because of how consistently hilarious it is. It's the funniest show I've ever seen.
Altruistic_Summer_31 t1_j5r0kdk wrote
Sopranos is amazing loved it ultimate show
Breaking bad overhyped
root_fifth_octave t1_j5r5xxp wrote
I should really watch The Sopranos at some point. Only seen bits and pieces.
Thought Breaking Bad was merely good, though. It's not one of the greats for me.
provbrewin t1_j5ra2fg wrote
Sopranos. The re-watchablility is what does it. Anyway, $4 a pound
eekamuse t1_j5rg7sm wrote
Breaking Bad was more entertaining. Funnier, and visually superior. And the last half of the final season was thrilling.
I've rewatched it more than the Sopranos. 10 to 1 probably.
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gutterballz t1_j5rjsnu wrote
Both shows went a too long. Sopranos by a season or two. Breaking bad should have been like 3 tops. Sopranos is much more artistic imo. Both have issues with suspensions of disbelief, but breaking bad really leans into comic book-ness. I really like Breaking Bad when you have the raw shittiness of Walt’s life in the first few seasons. But he woulda wound up dead so fast it’s just hard to take seriously. The black flat billed hat gimme a break.
tenaciousDaniel t1_j5rmwiy wrote
I watched BB first, and I like the Sopranos more. It’s just an amazing show. The dialogue is the best I think I’ve ever seen.
unkinhead t1_j5rwqmd wrote
I think especially in retrospect The Sopranos is just a more mature, deeper, show. I mean that as the highest compliment to the writers of The Sopranos who managed to make very real multudimensional characters come alive on screen. Breaking Bad is thrilling but comparatively seems to have an air of artificiality or cartoonyness to it.
Despite that added depth it never comes off as pretentious or showy and still manages to be remarkably funny, tragic, dramatic, even on rewatch. Breaking Bad has kind of lost its charm for me now that I've rewatched it a few times and the tension is gone, but Sopranos keeps delivering. BB is a great show, but there's a reason Sopranos is the GOAT.
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Aar0nSwanson t1_j5s4079 wrote
Breaking Bad. And I love The Sopranos dearly. It was fun and interesting seeing Walt’s decent into pure evil. Tony was like that from the beginning, but it was fun living in his world as well.
Asheron1 t1_j5s9guh wrote
Both incredible and the sopranos is somehow much better. That’s saying something
Crazy_Mastermind t1_j5sd1si wrote
Sopranos in my opinion, and I love both shows.
Breaking Bad is an action show through and through. Its got like...5 characters with really fleshed out arcs (Walt, Jesse, Skylar, Hank, Gus kinda). Their arcs are awesome, Jesse and Walt are two of my favorite characters ever. But its more focused in scope.
Sopranos is an amazing character study. Tony, Carmella, Meadow, AJ, Christofa, Adriana, Paulie, Bobby, Uncle Junior, Tony's Mom, Vito, Melfie, and so many others have these detailed arcs and storylines.
luisc123 t1_j5sen8t wrote
Humor in the Sopranos was one-of-a-kind. I would rarely laugh during the episode but I would think about it way later and giggle weirdly to myself.
Joemartinez t1_j5shktt wrote
The sopranos
TheyTheirsThem t1_j5sk03k wrote
To be fair, The Wire was a documentary, says this Baltimoron. And Chris O'Dowd in the TV version of "Get Shorty" displayed as much range as Gandolfini in their respective roles as family men mobsters.
TheyTheirsThem t1_j5skno1 wrote
The Sopranos broke about half as many rules as did ITV's "Cracker." Even though it was a 2-part episode, "To Be a Somebody" is in my top 5 TV episodes of all time.
Dramatic-Love-6180 t1_j5swlol wrote
The Sopranos for me. The writing is more nuanced, the acting is better, it is more layered.
Successful_Gate84 t1_j5t0cll wrote
The Sopranos because there is just so much subtext and depth to the writing in that show each and every line is not only memorable but also means something. Plus the way the show can change tones and genres without loosing its essence is just amazing one moment its goofy comedy and the next moment its a lynchian mindbender.
Breaking Bad is a great show but The Sopranos is one of the top 3 shows of all time.
AdFit851 t1_j5tftgu wrote
Breaking bad was the best series so far on my entire list
WillyWumpLump t1_j5tlo2q wrote
I find it interesting that as both series progressed the main character did more and more terrible things yet I liked them more. I wonder why this is? Maybe we wish we could be Tony or Walter for at least a day and just do what we want. Sopranos was number one for me and BB was a close 2 on series.
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Coolman_Rosso t1_j5tyhda wrote
To quote Vince Gilligan himself, "Without Tony Soprano there would be no Walter White"
Effective-Dinner-686 t1_j5uua3r wrote
Breaking bad is a plot heavy thrill ride, done in the best possible way. I think it is the most clever, well-plotted show that I have ever seen. In the Sopranos the plot means almost nothing, it is about the world and the characters, with psychological depth in the place of tight plotting. The whole thing is kind of a big sloppy mess, and I love it for that. They are both masterpieces but I have to give the nod to the Sopranos. And that’s not even taking into consideration that the Sopranos was one of the shows that sort of started it all in terms of the prestige TV era
Syonoq t1_j5vv9zn wrote
hey there buddy! I made it through 3.5 seasons of Breaking Bad and every time I’d start to waffle on it, my circle of friends would say: no way man, you’re almost at the good part! So I stayed on after the first season and “you’re almost there” would happen again and I made it into the third season and people were like, yeah it’s a little slow in the middle, BUT YOU’RE ALMOST TO THE GREAT PART. I gave up. There’s a family guy bit about people who won’t shut up about Breaking Bad and the Wire. I digress. You’re the first person I’ve met that invested a serious amount of time in that show and it didn’t pan out. Thank you.
The Sopranos though….chef’s kiss.
DillyBob88 t1_j5w4bb1 wrote
Sopranos
Blonderina t1_j61j4lf wrote
Breaking Bad has some reeeeally boring scenes, esp in s1-s2. Sopranos got me hooked up EVERY minute of the show. Plus neither Walt nor Jessie have that level of charisma and complexity as Tony and Chris do. So i'm voting Sopranos, though BB is a good show too.
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deignguy1989 t1_j649sbs wrote
Sopranos, only because I have tried THREE times to get into Breaking Bad and we just couldn’t.
james_carr9876 t1_j5pnhmt wrote
The sopranos because it changed tv more.