The crime drama Sopranos was hailed groundbreaking at one point — and then ‘Breaking Bad’ arrived.
Here’s the thing about groundbreaking TV shows, they lay the path for more such shows. When these other shows follow suit, they do it much better. That’s what seems to have happened with the once path-breaking show, ‘The Sopranos’. Premiering in 1999, it focused on an American-Italian mobster and his difficulties in balancing his mob life with his personal life. It was so good, everybody called the age after it started airing as the golden age of television.
Highlights —
- ‘The Sopranos’ may have started well, but definitely didn’t end that way
- ‘Breaking Bad’ gives an adrenalin rush
And then came ‘Breaking Bad’.
While some insist ‘Breaking Bad’ is overrated, there is no denying the fact that it has a good plot, complex characters, and terrific writing. It is a good show. So good, that the path-breaking ‘The Sopranos’ is not better than ‘Breaking Bad’ itself.
And when it comes to ‘Breaking Bad’ vs ‘The Sopranos’ in terms of which show is better, the verdict is out. Here are five instances when ‘The Sopranos’ proved that it was overrated.
1/5
The finale
‘The Sopranos’ may have started out well with a good premise and solid characters, but it ended in an awkward finale. There was an abrupt end to the whole series. The death of Nancy Marchand, who played Tony’s mother, was not handled well which resulted in the mush that was the finale. In contrast, ‘Breaking Bad’ started slow. It picked up speed mid-season, then ended on a beautiful high note, making fans hungry for more even when the show ended.
2/5
More adrenaline
With its plot twists, gory scenes, chases, and the high stakes involved in almost all of Walter’s escapades, ‘Breaking Bad’ had a high adrenalin-inducing effect. In comparison, ‘The Sopranos’ is mild and subdued, and lacks the excitement ‘Breaking Bad’ gives.
3/5
Interesting characters
Even though ‘Breaking Bad’ was based in Albuquerque mostly, its world was expansive and made a whole universe out of crazy criminals and morally decrepit companies. ‘The Sopranos’ was based in New Jersey and stayed in New Jersey — complete with the accent and styles.
4/5
The storyline
‘Breaking Bad’ had some mind-blowing plot twists and masterfully created sequences. It depicted a wild world of the criminal underbelly and did it with an ironic, almost comic glance. But ‘The Sopranos’ storyline hardly veered from being realistic, and so sometimes ended up being too grounded in reality and not creative enough.
5/5
‘The Sopranos’ is not binge-worthy
One majorly irritating thing about ‘The Sopranos’ was that it gave you many cliffhangers and then forgot to resolve them. New faces would come showing promise, and then never contribute to the story. In the modern world of binge-watching, ‘The Sopranos’ isn’t at all binge-worthy. ‘Breaking Bad’, on the other hand, was a tightly written narrative. Each episode was a thrilling ride and made you want to come back for more.
