The Sopranos vs The Wire vs Breaking Bad

[BEEG]

I have watched BB and The Shield two of the all time great shows

I have not watched The Wire or The Sopranos tried watching The Wire and struggles to get through the 2nd ep

 

[Silent Alarm]

Really, really like Breaking Bad and the Wire constantly astounds me... but there's no denying it: it's the Sopranos.

 

[Showbags]

I have watched BB and The Shield two of the all time great shows

I have not watched The Wire or The Sopranos tried watching The Wire and struggles to get through the 2nd ep

You have to watch more than 2 episodes surely before you scrap a show.

The Wire and to a much greater extent The Sopranos are shows that require some degree of patience. If you are someone who needs constant stimulation and action then they are probably not for you.

 

[Silent Alarm]

You have to watch more than 2 episodes surely before you scrap a show.

The Wire and to a much greater extent The Sopranos are shows that require some degree of patience. If you are someone who needs constant stimulation and action then they are probably not for you.

The Wire has so much space in it, but it's also hard to click all these characters together: from the first episode, there's a smorgasbord of important people saying important things. You have two distinct sides, but you have factions and fractions within those groups which end up being hugely important too. And of course there's the lingo you have to adapt to... I've restarted it again and you pick so much up in that first season – because first time around, you're putting things in place and not picking everything up.

The character development in the Sopranos is almost overwhelming, just incredible, but the Wire has this lesson in everything. I think the Sopranos is a beautiful extrapolation and display of humans, and that's why it's so engaging: it's sad, it's funny, it's dramatic, but it's undeniably flawed and intense. The Wire says something about society. Especially in the US. That's what makes them so profound, that meaning...

As good as Breaking Bad is, it had some unrealistic and OTT moments. That doesn't make it bad, but it makes it not for me. It's also a bit... plastic? It seems a bit shallow, shiny, and Hollywood in places. I just wanted some mothe*ers and campaigners thrown in, because that's how people talk. And I wanted characters to not be caricatures – in the Sopranos, Tony and Chrissy hold up that truck with the wine in it (which is amazing in itself – they literally bond and laugh about it all) and one of my favourite moments in tele unfurls. Just watch this:



Tony takes the piss out of this culture and this representation of names and 'toughness' and exposes it for the crock of s**t it is. In Breaking Bad, I'd cringe at "bad" characters who didn't resemble intimidation, but "baddies" – cut off shirts, big arms, and angry looks. And the viewer is expected to see this as somehow interesting, when all it is, is cardboard and fake and a bit of an insult? It's just too dumb and obvious. That's the difference in shows.

Also, I love the way the Sopranos and The Wire are shot. The tones, the cinematography... The Sopranos has those deep, dark colours and palettes that show it as almost filmic. While the Wire could be shot on something cheap. It's crisp and clear but there's nothing moody like there is for the Sopranos, and that actually works really well – it shows it as it is, which is what the Wire's all about. And for me, I just didn't find the way Breaking Bad looked was as interesting. It was a good demonstration of the barren landscape and that side of America, but I dunno.

 

[BEEG]

You have to watch more than 2 episodes surely before you scrap a show.

The Wire and to a much greater extent The Sopranos are shows that require some degree of patience. If you are someone who needs constant stimulation and action then they are probably not for you.

How do you rate the 4 in fairness BB first season is pretty slow

 

[Showbags]

The Sopranos, The Wire and Oz were HBO productions and therefore had a much greater grittiness and complexity that other stations just don't have the guts to try to put out.

I agree that Breaking Bad was at times too sleek and shiny. I would have loved to see even more investment into the character of Walter White, and more explanation of why he Broke Bad the way he did. There was ****SPOILER**** a nice little pay off in the final episode of why Walter did what he did (when he basically said that he did it all for himself, not for his family as he always professed throughout the series). I wished they had went more into his feelings about Gray Matter and how he missed the boat on the chance of a lifetime. That was the true motivation for Walter White imo, he felt like his skills and abilities were never given the recognition that they deserved. The money was a nice side bonus for him imo.

Still a brilliant show though. After the 3 HBO shows I just mentioned I never thought I'd see another show of that quality for a long while if ever. Breaking Bad deserves to be in that echelon of quality drama series for sure and certain.

 

[POGMA]

How do you rate the 4 in fairness BB first season is pretty slow

BB first season was interrupted by the writers strike, so that's why it only went 7 eps.
I respect The Wire, but find it dull and for some reason really dislike Mcnulty.
The Soprano's used to be my no1, but BB took over, FWIW, my 3 fav shows are..

1..BB
2..Soprano's
3..Cracker UK

 

[Showbags]

How do you rate the 4 in fairness BB first season is pretty slow

The biggest difference between Breaking Bad and The Wire/The Sopranos (and Oz, which as I said earlier deserves to be in this discussion imo, if you haven't seen that do yourself a favour) is that Breaking Bad relies on edge of your seat cliffhanger endings at the end of most episodes to get you back watching the following week.

People coming from Breaking Bad may be used to that sort of style and find it hard to adjust to a show like The Sopranos which I don't think ever (from memory) has a cliffhanger ending. It relies heavily on getting you invested in the characters and understanding their backstory (to ensure that you "get" the never ending amount of in jokes that are thrown at you).

 

[Lion for Life]

I've just recently finished watching the masterpiece that is The Sopranos for the first time which rounds out all three for me.

I can't possibly describe how much i've enjoyed each series, they are all the best that television has to offer and it's hard to split them in my opinion.
That being said i think Breaking Bad is probably the weakest of the three for the reason that a lot of aspects seemed too 'hollywood' in comparison to more the real world grit of the other two.

At the end of the day each was a study on different parts of our society, The Sopranos was a look at the inner workings of the crime underworld and it's affect's on human relationships, The Wire was a nuanced study of a broken society itself and Breaking Bad was more of a character study for me, specifically of Walter White and his transformation. All done masterfully.

For me:

2.5 The Wire
2.5 The Sopranos
(Can't split them)
1.0 Breaking Bad

All three are must watch shows though, just doesn't get better.

 

[Norwood1878]

The Sopranos is TV par excellence. The sheer amount of symbolism, foreshadowing and subtle referencing is staggering. When it originally aired the social commentary was quite direct, eg after 9/11 and the war on terror.
My favourite TV show of all time.

 

[Warsaw]

*cough cough Deadwood.

 

[Norwood1878]

I've just recently finished watching the masterpiece that is The Sopranos for the first time which rounds out all three for me.

I can't possibly describe how much i've enjoyed each series, they are all the best that television has to offer and it's hard to split them in my opinion.
That being said i think Breaking Bad is probably the weakest of the three for the reason that a lot of aspects seemed too 'hollywood' in comparison to more the real world grit of the other two.

At the end of the day each was a study on different parts of our society, The Sopranos was a look at the inner workings of the crime underworld and it's affect's on human relationships

The Sopranos was always about family. The fact the main protagonist is a member of OC is peripheral. Tony's relationship with his mother, his kids, Carmela, Janice and Chrissie etc and their relationships with him.

 

[Showbags]

I've just recently finished watching the masterpiece that is The Sopranos for the first time which rounds out all three for me.

I can't possibly describe how much i've enjoyed each series, they are all the best that television has to offer and it's hard to split them in my opinion.
That being said i think Breaking Bad is probably the weakest of the three for the reason that a lot of aspects seemed too 'hollywood' in comparison to more the real world grit of the other two.

At the end of the day each was a study on different parts of our society, The Sopranos was a look at the inner workings of the crime underworld and it's affect's on human relationships, The Wire was a nuanced study of a broken society itself and Breaking Bad was more of a character study for me, specifically of Walter White and his transformation. All done masterfully.

For me:

2.5 The Wire
2.5 The Sopranos
(Can't split them)
1.0 Breaking Bad

All three are must watch shows though, just doesn't get better.

Have you had a chance to watch Oz?

If not get onto it asap. Just as good as the other 3 imo.

 

[Showbags]

I've just recently finished watching the masterpiece that is The Sopranos for the first time which rounds out all three for me.

I can't possibly describe how much i've enjoyed each series, they are all the best that television has to offer and it's hard to split them in my opinion.
That being said i think Breaking Bad is probably the weakest of the three for the reason that a lot of aspects seemed too 'hollywood' in comparison to more the real world grit of the other two.

At the end of the day each was a study on different parts of our society, The Sopranos was a look at the inner workings of the crime underworld and it's affect's on human relationships, The Wire was a nuanced study of a broken society itself and Breaking Bad was more of a character study for me, specifically of Walter White and his transformation. All done masterfully.

For me:

2.5 The Wire
2.5 The Sopranos
(Can't split them)
1.0 Breaking Bad

All three are must watch shows though, just doesn't get better.

Have you had a chance to watch Oz?

If not get onto it asap. Just as good as the other 3 imo.

 

[benchwarmer5]

hehe at getting extra from sub titles

 

[Lion for Life]

Have you had a chance to watch Oz?

If not get onto it asap. Just as good as the other 3 imo.

That or Deadwood will be next

 

[Skeppersap]

*cough cough Deadwood.

Unfortunately, for me, Deadwood is not in the same league as the other 4 being discussed (The Sopranos, Oz, BB and The Wire). I really wanted it to be, but it just wasnt close.

The lack of ending hurt it, but i think it was more than that. There were just too many characters that were pointless. In the last season, the introduction of the actors is one that I remember just having no purpose. With the other shows (the HBO shows, and BB to an extent), EVERYTHING had a point. All storylines had a point, all characters did.

For me, The Sopranos is the best TV show ever. Oz is second, The Shield is third, The Wire is fourth and Breaking Bad might be fifth. That is if we dont count comedies, or else both versions of The Office would be up there, as well as early seasons of Entourage.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Unfortunately, for me, Deadwood is not in the same league as the other 4 being discussed (The Sopranos, Oz, BB and The Wire). I really wanted it to be, but it just wasnt close.

The lack of ending hurt it, but i think it was more than that. There were just too many characters that were pointless. In the last season, the introduction of the actors is one that I remember just having no purpose. With the other shows (the HBO shows, and BB to an extent), EVERYTHING had a point. All storylines had a point, all characters did.

For me, The Sopranos is the best TV show ever. Oz is second, The Shield is third, The Wire is fourth and Breaking Bad might be fifth. That is if we dont count comedies, or else both versions of The Office would be up there, as well as early seasons of Entourage.

Entourage tries to be a bit too cutting edge without being actually funny. I never thought it was anything but abrasive and harsh language and some indie songs and not much else. The Office is phenomenal though; a great perspective and understanding of the human condition and how that's so funny. Alan Partridge is severely underrated too.

As far as dramas, I'll put my hand up for Band of Brothers. The way they made that...

I tried watching Deadwood. My parents and I share a pretty similar taste in TV and they loved it. That and Game of Thrones never gripped me... I just prefer things to be about people. And a bit of a modern, realistic perspective is what I tend to value a bit more.

I really, really need to watch Oz. Seems harsh and cold and heavy. I have another fortnight of uni break, so two and a half seasons of the Wire and Oz is what I need to do until then.

 

[Norwood1878]

What about Boardwalk Empire, any love? Sorry for the tread drift but i just finished watching "Men of a Certain Age" and now feel really cheated that it got axed.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

I've never been into the 1 hour, US drama so it took years for friends to convince me try the Wire.
After loving that I Tried sopranos. Tried BB.

Neither came close to the wire (for me) so im holding out hope Oz can rescue TV for me again.

Heard its awesome.

 

[Lion for Life]

What about Boardwalk Empire, any love? Sorry for the tread drift but i just finished watching "Men of a Certain Age" and now feel really cheated that it got axed.

Love Boardwalk but don't think it comes close. Yeah, the setpieces, cinematography, acting are all top notch but the writing and pacing is just not compelling enough to hold up against these greats. Still a great show though.

My addition from the current roster would definitely be Game Of Thrones, nails it across most criteria, quality although we are yet to see it play out to make a proper judgement.

True Detective also holds great promise, that first season was as compelling a season of television that i've ever seen, here's hoping they keep it to the same high standard throughout.

 

[Warsaw]

Unfortunately, for me, Deadwood is not in the same league as the other 4 being discussed (The Sopranos, Oz, BB and The Wire). I really wanted it to be, but it just wasnt close.

The lack of ending hurt it, but i think it was more than that. There were just too many characters that were pointless. In the last season, the introduction of the actors is one that I remember just having no purpose. With the other shows (the HBO shows, and BB to an extent), EVERYTHING had a point. All storylines had a point, all characters did.

Sure the theatre company didn't lead to anything overtly substantial (might have if it went to a fourth season) but it was well worth having it just for Brian Cox as Jack Langrishe. His interactions with Al and with the company were pretty ******* terrific.

And I never felt that Deadwood suffered from having too many characters, or at least having characters that I wasn't interested or invested in. You could say that having those characters meant some other ones were left to a side for too long but I give it all the praise on having everyone adding something different to the Deadwood experience.

I don't necessarily agree that everything else on the others shows had a point, or if they did had a good point to make. The Sopranos did have it's moments where it could of passed for just any ordinary type of show, i.e Columbus Day, a lot of the stuff with AJ and Meadow. And the newspaper angle in The Wire was by far the least compelling story arc on the show.

Don't get me wrong though, I still rate the Wire as the best show I've ever seen and I've often interchanged Deadwood and The Sopranos as 2 and 3, but I think those three are at the top of the pantheon, and everything else is a touch below it.

 

[pantskyle]

*cough cough Deadwood.

Never got to finish so that hurts. Terrific show for what little we got.

 

[FRUMPY]

Love Boardwalk but don't think it comes close. Yeah, the setpieces, cinematography, acting are all top notch but the writing and pacing is just not compelling enough to hold up against these greats. Still a great show though.

My addition from the current roster would definitely be Game Of Thrones, nails it across most criteria, quality although we are yet to see it play out to make a proper judgement.

True Detective also holds great promise, that first season was as compelling a season of television that i've ever seen, here's hoping they keep it to the same high standard throughout.

I can almost guarantee you that true detective season 2 will not reach the expectations of peope. People already say it was a masterpiece and now with a totally new cast (when the 2 lead actors were the reason the show was so good in series 1), there is no way it can reach expectations.

I still think season 1 lost its way with the last 2-3 episodes and didnt deliver on the opening 5-6 episodes

 

[Sterge]

You have to watch more than 2 episodes surely before you scrap a show.

The Wire and to a much greater extent The Sopranos are shows that require some degree of patience. If you are someone who needs constant stimulation and action then they are probably not for you.

Season 1 of the sopranos is one of my favourites and the opening scene is still one of the best



The Wire I didn't get into until season 2 and even after watching the whole thing I'm still not sure about the love it gets