Just finished better call Saul. Absolutely loved it; but can’t stop comparing it to breaking bad and can’t decide which one is the better show.

Submitted by [deleted] t3_11pflkl in television

I absolutely loved better call Saul and breaking bad.

Listen, I just binged game of thrones as well. Is game of thrones awesome? Yes. But my god is the ending shit, and the quality of the show was so inconsistent.

You don’t get that with breaking bad or better call Saul. Every season is at least in the “great” category. And man do they both end so damn well.

What’s better about bcs:

The dialogue/writing in general is just better. Some of the chuck, jimmy, or Kim scenes were Oscar level performances.

It was way better shot. The cinematography was amazing. I couldn’t believe how many damn cool shots there were, and how you can tell what the cinematographer was trying to convey with that shot.

What’s better about breaking bad:

The highs are more high, in my opinion. Ozymondias is still my favorite tv episode ever. (On the contrary, the lows are more low.)

The overall plot had higher stakes and I found it more interesting. The show kept feeling bigger and bigger stakes with each season.

Overall, I’m sad that the breaking bad/bcs universe is over. But wow what incredible shows.

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myowngalactus t1_jbxjhpc wrote

Better Call Saul is never going to be as popular or culturally relevant as Breaking Bad, but I think overall it’s a better show with a more satisfying ending. You can tell by watching it that the creators have improved their craft, and the performances by the actors are just as good if not better. Rhea Seahorn in particular was fantastic in it and I’m pretty excited to see what her and Vince Gilligan’s next show will be about.

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NoOneShallPassHassan t1_jbxj6nz wrote

I just treat them both as one show.

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b1gmouth t1_jbxjw4o wrote

This. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are best understood as one long-form work. And together they make up the single greatest show in television history.

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foetus_on_my_breath t1_jbxk32z wrote

BCS felt more...polished.

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Mentoman72 t1_jbxzhr1 wrote

I disagree, I think BCS has pacing issues and they could have moved a little faster. I love how it ended up in the end, but you could tell the writers had nothing in mind for endgame in the first two seasons. Great show, but probably could have been five seasons.

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Jayang t1_jbydypn wrote

Writers almost never have an ending in mind when they start out a show, BB included

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Mentoman72 t1_jbygse9 wrote

True, I just think the first two seasons spun their wheels a bit and in the third it kicked into a higher gear. BB never felt like that.

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[deleted] OP t1_jbxpooo wrote

Better Call Saul

Breaking Bad was my favorite show. When I finished Better Call Saul, I still felt Breaking Bad was my favorite show but then I went to rewatch Breaking Bad and while still very good, I felt Breaking Bad relies a lot on a shock factor/surprises that isn’t as rewarding on a 2nd viewing. All the “holy shit!” moments that were so exciting the first time around were still good but not as strong.

Better Call Saul relied more on the strength of its characters than multiple “Whoa, I can’t believe this just happened!” moments throughout the show.

Both are still fantastic but Better Call Saul takes the edge for me. I think it will age better.

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fauxfilosopher t1_jbxm7kb wrote

Better Call Saul was the better show. It had the impossible task of creating characters we would care about and real stakes for a story we already know the ending to. The writing was also tighter and the pace was slower. Less big dramatic action moments and more subtle and clever ones.

And as a personal preference I feel like the characters are much more likeable and subject matter more interesting, which makes it a far more pleasing rewatch.

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thewidowgorey t1_jby3ot2 wrote

Same. The female characters are so much more enjoyable to watch. I’ve always been annoyed by Skyler and Marie’s I’ve met in life, but the Kim Wexlers I’ve known are women I deeply revere and you can tell they really did the work to write better characters than BB. And yes I’m including Betsy Kettleman.

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Yugo86 t1_jbxtc9g wrote

I am thankful that Vince Gilligan and his crew gave us 2 amazing shows and ended them both in extremely satisfying ways.

BCS’ ending was quiet yet so sentimental, it’s one of my favourites of all time for sure.

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sergiocamposnt t1_jc3iaud wrote

Breaking Bad was the best show of all time when it was released imo.

But Better Call Saul reached a new level. It is basically Breaking Bad with an even more impressive writing and cinematography.

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theonlyone38 t1_jbxiue5 wrote

I just don't think its fair to compare. Both shows are great in their own right. They add and compliment each other.

Its actually even better to go back and watch Breaking Bad again while its all fresh in your mind.

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Boaventura_1980 t1_jbxnt7o wrote

Better Call Saul was great but in my opinion, in first 2 or 3 seasons it was a bit padded. If you eliminated half its run time you wouldnt lose anything in the story. I think they only perfected it the last two seasons. And Breaking Bad has more iconic scenes in general (but to be honest it also had a few less polished first two seasons)

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Arizona_Pete t1_jbxo2kp wrote

My opinion is that BCS is the better show, but, Breaking Bad is the more important show.

I'm still blown away that they were able to craft a prequel, one in which you knew how 90% of it was going to end, and still make it as meaningful and seamless and suspenseful as they did. It's utterly brilliant.

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anasui1 t1_jbxok03 wrote

BCS had it much worse, at least in the first three seasons, because it had to create compelling stories and characters without the help of cartel stuff so in my view, it's the better show for that alone. I also think it's superior in terms of writing and direction but that's a tad less evident

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staedtler2018 t1_jbzdrlx wrote

I think Breaking Bad is the much better show.

They had a core idea: to turn a 'good' person into a 'bad' person. What makes the show truly great is how committed they are to this. They were fearless in taking the character down very dark paths even when they knew the audience might react poorly. They understood that even if we liked Walt, we had to see him 'break bad', to the point where he turns into a repulsive antagonist for the whole of the last season. This fearlessness gives the show its power.

Better Call Saul suffers from not being committed to anything. The writers have openly acknowledged that the show was going to be about Saul Goodman but they liked Jimmy so much that they kept stalling on his transformation to Saul, dragging their feet, taking things back. It's the opposite of Breaking Bad. They are not committed enough to turn the guy into Saul because they "like him."

This is a problem for the other stories too. There's really not much rhyme or reason to Mike, Gus, and Nacho being there. They are remnants of a show that never was. Their storyline has very little depth and we learn almost nothing about Mike and Gus that we didn't already know.

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Impressive-Device-60 t1_jbxl03l wrote

I suggest watching them both all the way through again and getting back to us.

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Formation1908 t1_jbxmz7l wrote

I’m just excited they both exist and I had the chance to enjoy the story. No need for me to compare. 💕

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[deleted] OP t1_jbxwysk wrote

My opinion: BCS’s last season was rushed and the quality suffered for it. I absolutely preferred it to BB, but BB kept a perfect pace and ended well. If BCS had one more season, it would’ve been perfect.

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hoxxxxx t1_jbyg289 wrote

honestly i don't think either of them is the better show. i like them both equally and appreciate the differences in what they are trying to be and what they accomplished. and there is so much overlap in the staff/talent between the two shows that i consider them to kinda be the same show but different volumes or chapters or whatever you wanna call it.

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realcastlepresident t1_jbyweua wrote

The idea of something being better is subjective as fuck. Why can y’all just enjoy things without comparing them.

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RichardOrmonde t1_jbyzk28 wrote

I’m waiting a few months before embarking on a full watch of both. I am looking forward to it very much. Both masterpieces of the medium.

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brettmgreene t1_jc2jvok wrote

Why do you need to compare the two? They're two very different shows with some cartel crossover; you can like each for its own merit without needing to crown one a winner.

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meowskywalker t1_jbxor0l wrote

Why does there have to be better? We got two fantastic shows. Be happy. Stop trying to quantify art.

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