Breaking Bad
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 28 of 60 TV series by recommenders
Recommended for its fully planned story, a character arc from dork to badass, and a strong second season; critics say it slows and loses its artistry in later seasons.
Recommended for its fully planned story, a character arc from dork to badass, and a strong second season; critics say it slows and loses its artistry in later seasons.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 81%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Whole story planned in advance
“I wish more content makers advertised that they have the whole story planned before the show starts (like Breaking Bad/Vince Gilligan).”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” “Vince Gilligan truly made tv gold.”
Comment from 8 Aug 2026 in “Don't use your phone while you poop”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Loses artistry throughout the run
“It has its moments of art and pathos, but surfaces for air too frequently”
Comment from 4 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: Favorite TV Show?” “it doesn't try to sustain the artistry throughout”
Comment from 4 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: Favorite TV Show?”
Other TV series people recommend
The four most recommended other TV series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halt and Catch Fire | 166 | 20 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Babylon 5 | 86 | 21 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Silicon Valley (TV series) | 52 | 1 | 98% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Andor | 52 | 5 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Breaking BadThis page | 13 | 3 | 81% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It made the show feel more genuine and realistic”
“it doesn't try to sustain the artistry throughout”
“It has its moments of art and pathos, but surfaces for air too frequently”
“Buying breaking bad on DVD is <3 months of netflix subscription (no ads).”
“Vince Gilligan truly made tv gold.”
“how boring, slow, and repetitive it had become”
“I think it gets significantly better in season 2, and continues improving thereafter.”
“I couldn’t make it through Breaking Bad”
“Walter White was such an irritating character”
“Enjoying 5 seasons of chemistry lessons”
“I managed to watch it anyway and am glad of it”
“Walter White is dying and becoming more and more amoral, but he also goes from being a dork to a badass.”
“I wish more content makers advertised that they have the whole story planned before the show starts (like Breaking Bad/Vince Gilligan).”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.