Note: this review is relatively spoiler-free; however, I do talk generally about these characters and their trajectory throughout the series. So, if you haven’t watched Breaking Bad, tread lightly… and go watch the show — it’s great!

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad | AMC

Breaking Bad follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a chemistry teacher who begins manufacturing meth after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.

This show is just phenomenal. I remember thoroughly enjoying it when I first watched it, but I worried that it wouldn’t hold up as much upon rewatch 15 years after the show originally aired.

But I was so wrong. I was still consistently impressed with every aspect of the show.

There are so many reasons why Breaking Bad is as good as it is, but I want to focus mainly on the writing. The characters are very well-written and feel like real people. We know what drives them, what they’re hiding, and we can see the blindspots that they can’t see in their own lives.

Walter undergoes an immense transformation throughout the course of the show, and all of it feels like a natural progression. I think it could’ve been easy to turn this mild-mannered chemistry teacher into a caricature of a supervillain by the end, but somehow Breaking Bad resists that urge. Even in Walt’s darkest moments, there are still some lasting vestiges of humanity in him, which makes him so interesting to continue to watch.

All of the characters are multi-layered and complex. We learn that Walt’s mild-mannered temperament was masking some real anger underneath that is able to be fully unleashed when he becomes Heisenberg. Jesse (Aaron Paul), the drug-using, drug-dealing underachiever, has a heart of gold and is the emotional core of the show. He is put through absolute hell throughout the course of the show, and he responds in ways that feel so human. I felt so much empathy for Jesse as he walks through tragedy after tragedy, difficulty after difficulty.

Each character in Breaking Bad is also so distinct from the others. No one is cut from the same cloth in this. For example, we see an incredibly competent and direct Mike (Jonathan Banks) working with the quick-talking lawyer Saul (Bob Odenkirk). This pair is so incredibly unlikely, but their differences make their interactions interesting and exciting.

As new characters are introduced, our impression of those we already know well shifts and changes over time. At first, Walter seems very cautious and meticulous until we meet the ultra-careful and shrewd Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).

The relationships between these colorful and interesting characters lead to some explosive moments. They push each other over the edge, and we see new sides of them, creating ripple effects that no one could’ve predicted at the time.

I am equally impressed by the arc of the show as a whole. As Walter learns about this world, so are we, with Jesse as our imperfect guide initially. We see Walt change over the course of the first season as he learns that he’s good at this and it’s quite a profitable business to be in. Then the show expands the world little by little, introducing these other characters that we grow to know and love.

Even the most shocking moments of the show (and there are quite a few) are paced so well throughout. I don’t feel like there are moments of lag or rushing throughout the run of Breaking Bad. Everything comes at the right time to get us to where we need to be in this journey with Walt and Jesse.

And, of course, the performances in this show are exceptional. Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Walter is incredibly powerful. This is a complex character, and Cranston is believable through every single shift and transformation Walter undergoes. While watching, there were multiple moments when I read Walter’s response one way, and my roommate, who I was watching with, saw it completely differently — and both readings were plausible. Cranston’s performance and the writing of this character are so complex that many things co-exist at once within Walter. All of his kindness, harshness, caring, manipulation, pride, and greed are part of this character and are present in Cranston’s performance.

But upon rewatching, I’m even more blown away by Aaron Paul’s portrayal of Jesse. This character goes through many terrible situations throughout the course of this show, which means we get many moments of Jesse hitting rock bottom. Over and over again, we see him having to react to the most horrific circumstances. He endures so much pain throughout the show, and again and again, he gets back up after life has knocked him down. There are moments of absolute joy and tenderness, and even when Jesse is making terrible decisions, you see a vulnerability in him. Jesse is incredibly endearing and sweet, and Aaron Paul does a fantastic job bringing this character to life.

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad | AMC

Vince Gilligan and the entire team created something quite special. I feel pretty confident in saying that Breaking Bad is one of the best TV shows of all time. It’s filled with incredibly human characters, tension that is rooted and grounded in these people, and a story that we can easily get wrapped up in. All these years later, it still holds up because it was made with such attention to detail. And it ended when it was supposed to end, making it one of those rare shows that is satisfying for its entire run time.

If you haven’t watched Breaking Bad in a while, what are you waiting for? Go relive all of the highs and lows of this incredible adventure yet again!

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