Breaking Bad - Better late than never

OK, OK, time to talk TV and I'm a little late to the party but still ahead of the masses in the case of "Breaking Bad" created by Vince Gilligan, a regular writer and producer of X-Files. It's starring Bryan Cranston in his two-time emmy-winning role of Walter White, the chemistry teacher that turns to "cooking" crystal meth. He's great, and it's an exceptionally well-written (and very dark) show from AMC that deserves your attention. I burned through Season One in record time and worry Season Two is going to seriously affect my ability to get anything else done. I can't believe I spent time telling you about it when I could've been watching more episodes.

"The Wire" raised the bar
HBO's "The Wire" kind of spoiled me for regular cable TV. It was like nothing else and made it hard to be impressed by other offerings. Even better (yet different) than the exceptional "Sopranos," I bore early witness to what I still hold to be the best television series yet. To be fair, "The Wire" certainly isn't for everyone. It didn't have cliffhangers or white knuckle, high-octane moments like "The Shield" where a viewer jumping in for one episode could still get a thrill. "The Wire" was a slow-burn, multi-layered, highly realistic and revealing show that had more in common with a great novel than a TV show. It took a long time to catch on despite critical acclaim and most people discovered it only after it's fifth and final season aired and had hit DVD.

Muchas gracias, amigo
Great thanks to my friend Juan Carlos, who introduced me properly to "Breaking Bad," who also assures me that Season Two is even better than the first. I've only had a luke warm feeling about the other new and mainstay shows that have sprung from HBO and Showtime, I haven't been this excited about seeing the next episode of anything since "The Wire" but I will give a nod to "Bored To Death" as a show that seems to be getting better and better with each episode and I enjoyed "Hung," and "Nurse Jackie" to a certain extent. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" started very strong this season but I'm wary of where we're headed after last week's weaker offering.

To keep it in perspective - What I don't like:
One unifying poor quality of ShowTime's offerings such as "Californication," "Nurse Jackie" and especially "Dexter" (which I officially gave up on a couple of episodes into Season 2) is that they all have at least one character that is so ridiculous from the get-go (Prime example of this is Kathleen Turner in "Californication, Season 3.") They simply play untrue to the world the show has created and stick out like a sore thumb. Showtime seems strong on concept but it falls apart in the writing often. Still above average fare, worth watching, but just not realizing their full potential and certainly not improving with time. HBO has had it's fair share of misses, but generally hits the target more often than not.

So it seems AMC is putting quality at the forefront, not worrying about immediate mass appeal and I hope it will continue to do so. Season 3 of "Breaking Bad" is officially underway but when it will air is uncertain. If you were a fan of "The Wire," you owe it to yourself to check out this show.

(Please note: the promo poster pictured above is old, so please check your local listings for air times of Season 1 and 2 episodes)