Two Timelines. One Universe. Endless Lessons on Morality.
Breaking Bad Vs. Better Call Saul… Once upon a time, television was a box in the living room that told stories one week at a time. Comedies like I Love Lucy, Three’s Company, and Seinfeld didn’t just make us laugh — they were revolutionary in their cultural sensitivity and social innovation. They held up a mirror to society and showed us how far we could stretch the norms, all while keeping the laughs coming.
But that was the last century.
Now, we live in the golden age of choice. With just a few taps, we can stream full seasons of any show — past or present — on demand. We can binge-watch entire story arcs in one weekend or savor them slowly over months. And the stories? They’ve evolved, too. They’re deeper, darker, more morally complex.
Case in point: Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
The Antihero and the Underdog
Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter White — a high school chemistry teacher with a genius mind and a terminal illness. Desperate to leave something behind for his family, he turns to cooking methamphetamine. What starts as a misguided act of desperation becomes a descent into darkness. Walter isn’t just breaking bad — he’s breaking everyone around him. Over time, the mask of good intentions falls away, revealing a man who uses morality as a costume for pride, ego, and control.
Walter isn’t a villain in the traditional sense. He’s a cautionary tale — a brilliant man whose downfall is seeded in his unchecked ambition.
Better Call Saul, by contrast, tells the origin story of Jimmy McGill — the scrappy, clever lawyer with a heart. Jimmy is written off by most people as a joke, a conman, a clown. But unlike Walter, Jimmy’s soul is soft. He cares deeply — about his brother, his clients, his love interest Kim Wexler. And it’s that care, that yearning to prove he’s worth something, that leads him down roads even he never wanted to travel.
In some ways, Jimmy is everything Walter isn’t: empathetic, emotionally intelligent, and willing to bend the rules not for power, but for love and loyalty. But the tragedy is still there — we watch his choices slowly chip away at the goodness inside him.
Morality, Reimagined
These aren’t just shows about crime or law — they’re explorations of character, consequence, and the human condition. Both narratives force us to ask:
- What makes someone good or bad?
- How much does circumstance shape our moral compass?
- Can we truly change, or are we destined to become what the world sees in us?
Breaking Bad starts with a man who believes he’s doing wrong for the right reasons and ends with a man doing wrong for no reason at all.
Better Call Saul begins with a man trying to do the right thing in a world that insists he’s wrong — and slowly molds him into the persona society expects.
It’s genius storytelling — brought to life by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and Thomas Schnauz. Their writing gives us rich, flawed, human characters that challenge our notions of right, wrong, and everything in between.
Watch Them In Sequence
I started Breaking Bad with my son — and the experience of watching it together, episode after episode, was bonding in a way few things are. Now, I’m watching Better Call Saul — and I can confidently say that watching them in sequence makes the universe richer. The emotional weight is heavier. The callbacks more meaningful. The heartbreak sharper.
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%, Better Call Saul is no longer just a spin-off. It’s a masterpiece in its own right — and some would argue, even better than the original.
Final Thought
If you haven’t watched them yet, you’re in for something rare. If you have, maybe it’s time for a second round. Either way, these shows won’t just entertain you. They’ll challenge you — and maybe, just maybe, change how you see the world.
Two characters. Two paths. One question: What would you do, if the world told you who you are?
Where to Watch
Better Call Saul is currently available on:
- Netflix (US/Canada) – All six seasons
- AMC+ – For AMC originals and behind-the-scenes content
Breaking Bad is available on:
- Netflix (Global) – Complete series
- AMC+ – For extended content and extras
Both shows are also available to rent or purchase via:
⚠️ Availability may vary depending on your region. Be sure to check your preferred streaming service.
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