One of HBO‘s best crime thrillers, with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%, is so good that it is hard not to see how it deserves to be as popular and successful as Breaking Bad. Over a decade after its conclusion, Breaking Bad is still touted as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Most would agree that it rightfully deserves the title.
The five-season Vince Gilligan series still has incredible rewatch value and even some of its more divisive episodes now look like masterpieces. Over the years, Breaking Bad has gained even more appreciation because only a handful of crime thrillers that came after it have managed to come close to replicating its brilliant writing and portrayal of morally complex characters.
Among the few shows that have managed to potentially rival it, one surprisingly remains relatively less popular. Starring Bill Hader, the show in question, Barry, delivered a complete and satisfying crime drama in its four-season runtime, leaving absolutely no dull moments during its run.
While Barry never had the same cultural impact as Breaking Bad, some aspects of the series arguably make it better than the Vince Gilligan show.
Is Barry Better Than Breaking Bad?
When it comes to masterfully pacing its crime drama and gradually escalating the overarching stakes, only a few shows come close to being as brilliant as Breaking Bad. The Vince Gilligan series’ character arcs are also perfectly written across all seasons, which makes the transformations of characters like Jesse and Walter seem immersive and believable.
However, in hindsight, it is hard not to see how conventional Breaking Bad can be sometimes. After one season of the show itself, one can foresee where it will end up going towards the end. This is not necessarily a pitfall, but it highlights how Breaking Bad falls more into the conventional bracket of crime dramas. Barry, in contrast, defies the norm in more ways than one and operates more an experimental take on the anti-hero myth.
In Breaking Bad‘s portrayal of its main anti-hero, there is arguably some glorification where the show tries to justify his actions and moral decline. Walter’s action progressively gets worse, but, as a viewer, you somehow find yourself empathizing with him and even rooting for him. Barry‘s titular character is a broken, institutionalized killer from the very beginning.
The show gives him some redeeming aspects that make him as engaging as Walter White. However, since the show strips away almost all romanticism from the anti-hero trope, it becomes hard to foresee where Barry’s journey might take him. From a tonal standpoint, Breaking Bad is not entirely serious throughout its runtime.
Unlike Breaking Bad, though, Barry does not hold back with its comedy. The show achieves the rare balance of being both a hard-hitting crime drama and an absurdly funny drama. It can feature a blood-soaked confrontation in one scene and completely transition into the hilarious, upbeat antics of Chechen mob boss NoHo Hank the next.
Considering how Breaking Bad and Barry are brilliant crime dramas in their own right, comparing them seems a little unfair. They are both incredible in their own unique ways and will always rank among the best shows of their brands of crime storytelling.
Barry Is A Rare Example Of A Series Finale Done Right
Even in its final moments, Barry refuses to take itself too seriously. The show’s ending is no less cathartic and memorable than Breaking Bad‘s. However, before its final credits start rolling, Barry pulls out another trick out of its hat where it defies the conventional path taken by most crime dramas. Even shows like Ozark from the same genre have defied expectations in their final arcs.
Unlike Ozark, though, Barry does not merely walk through an ending where its main anti-hero somehow ends up winning. It does something bold that, arguably, could have backfired if it wasn’t executed correctly. Fortunately, for Barry, the series finale in itself further cements its legacy as one of the best crime dramas out there.
Shows like Breaking Bad and Ozark have also undoubtedly been great additions to the crime thriller genre. They are aging incredibly well, and, time and again, it is hard not to return to them year after year. HBO‘s Barry, however, is no less deserving of the same praise because of how it etches its own identity in the crime genre and even ends on an incredibly satisfying and unexpected note.