Breaking Bad vs Better Call Saul

Breaking Bad is heavier, faster and more original; Better Call Saul is more intimate. Both are dark, linear and gritty.

Breaking Bad poster

Breaking Bad

Type and year
TV series · 2008
Length
5 seasons · 62 episodes · 46 min episodes
Rating
8.7
out of 10 on TMDB · 7,639 votes
Better Call Saul poster

Better Call Saul

Type and year
TV series · 2015
Length
5 seasons · 50 episodes · 45 min episodes
Rating
8.4
out of 10 on TMDB · 2,344 votes

Which fits you better?

Take the two-minute taste test to see how well Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul each match your taste, and which one to watch first.

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Characteristics, side by side

Breaking BadBetter Call Saul

  • Pace
    SlowFast
  • Originality
    Tried & testedFresh & original
  • Wholesomeness
    UnsavouryWholesome
  • Weightiness
    LightHeavy
  • Realism
    ImaginaryRealistic
  • Intricacy
    SimpleIntricate
  • Linearity
    SurrealLinear
  • Style and visuals
    GrittyGlossy
  • Scale
    EnclosedBig & varied
  • Emotional punch
    Emotionally undemandingEmotive & stirring

Taste attributes

Both

  • Drama
  • Mafia/gangster
  • Crime
  • Unsavoury
  • Linear
  • Gritty
  • Complex relationship
  • Deep rivalry
  • Fighting evil

Only Breaking Bad

  • Thriller
  • Fast
  • Fresh & original
  • Heavy
  • Emotive & stirring
  • Fish out of water/culture clash
  • Human spirit/resilience/survival
  • Rescue/escape/jeopardy
  • Troubled leads

Only Better Call Saul

  • Comedy
  • Legal
  • Realistic
  • Intricate
  • Enclosed
  • All consuming quest
  • Underdog triumphs

Genres

Both

  • Drama

Only Breaking Bad

None.

Only Better Call Saul

  • Comedy
  • Crime

Where to watch

More comparisons

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