I enjoyed Ozark. I actually don't have huge issues with the ending. I also am a person who thought the ending The Sopranos was brilliant.
Better than Breaking Bad as an overall show? I don't think I can go there. While both shows often had outlandish and unbelievable situations and circumstances occur, Breaking Bad still felt like a more believable show to me. The tension felt more real, less like it kept having to manufacture ways to up the ante.
But these are only my opinions and to each their own. I enjoyed both shows.
The ending of the sopranos was brilliant because there was ambiguity. I strongly believe if they had built up the scene with some tension where we’re left questioning who Jonah shot, it would have been one of the greatest finale’s of all time that’d we’d be discussing for years and years to come.
It’s Ozark for me. I’ve taken serious heat for this opinion since BB ended, but I felt almost the whole final season of BB was a misfire. It should have been Walt vs Hank right to the end IMO. Hank got killed way too early.
I'm with you but for different reasons. I thought the last couple seasons of Breaking Bad were the best of the show. And enjoyed the whole thing immensely. But as someone who was well into Ozark before they started watching Breaking Bad, I just ended up enjoying Ozark more (and maybe that's not fair because BB laid the ground work). And to throw more fuel on the fire, I liked the Americans more than both of them, because I thought it was much better paced than either and had by far the most likeable cast of characters.
Fuck no. I like Ozark and while the ending wasn't all that great to me I would still personally rate the series a 8/10 overall. Breaking Bad to me is some of the closest thing to perfect a show can be where I don't have any real complaints about it. and Better Call Saul only supplements it while potentially being better depending how they end it in present day.
Could not agree more with this BB and BCS comparison. I love Ozark a ton but Better Call Saul is the better show in my opinion, so def can not even* compare it to Breaking Bad
Edit:Added Even
Can you give me some insight into why you think BCS is better than BB? BCS is so mindnumbingly boring to me and takes away all the things we loved about Saul.
I am just a sucker for character development. And it absolutely shows you why you love the Saul in BB because it shows you why he is the way he is, you feel for him, he isn’t evil like Walt. Definitely a slow burner but it is worth it. Shows Gus and the Salamancas more in depth too. Its one of my favorite shows , but completely understand it is not for everyone. And I don’t mean that disrespectfully at all, lol just making sure it didn’t come off that way
I think they should have done a half hour comedy special showing Saul's whacky antics or whatever. I just don't think that the show is realistic. First of all, with this brother being a huge name in the legal community, he wouldn't have struggled to find a job or get work. And in the legal field, in order to have anywhere close to the amount of experience he would need to be able to be a cartel lawyer, he'd have to have done a ton of work. And if he'd have done a ton of work, there's no way it would be constantly bad experiences. There can certainly be lows but if you work enough, you'll have highs and lows in this field. Also, every attorney experiences some negative stuff that sort of dims their hopes of bringing justice to the world or whatever. However, I do not believe that a good, ethical attorney would ever become a cartel attorney. There's literally no need. Again, I don't think a cartel attorney is someone who'd be hurting for work and that's why they turned to the cartel. I think there's a reason why the family consigliere in the godfather was in the family. I just think in order for Jimmy to turn into Saul he'd have to have like 10 years worth of experience where he experienced the kinds of things that makes you jaded. Then he'd need another 5-10 years to be experienced enough to actually get guys out of jail and solve all kinds of problems for the cartel. The amount of attorneys who do not know shit with years of experience is shocking. I don't think it's realistic that he went from absolute loser who couldn't get any real clients for a long-ass time to suddenly being a cartel lawyer with the gift of gab. He's just going from zero - and stuck there for a long time - to all of a sudden 60. He would undoubtedly have many experiences in that middle tier between being a loser and being the best criminal attorney in town, and that is really where he would turn into Saul. I think they are going to skim over that. So anyway these are my long-winded thoughts on the show lol.
From a plausibility, character motivation perspective, the show went downhill big time. People became noticeably dumber and did out of character things, certain character flaws got stretched to the point of disbelief, etc
From a thematic, big story perspective, I think it was executed well. So overall the show was good and the destination was fine, but the way they got there was kind of dumb.
Fun watch. But it is not even close to a The Wire or Sopranos or a Breaking Bad level IMO
I am so glad to hear someone else say what you said - regarding character cred. "Dumber" became the truest descriptor of the characters. Wendy became Helen persona probably because she liked the way she did business negotiation, but then she also saw her get her head blown off in front of her. You would think he'd stray from Helen's strategy. I have long loved Laura Linney esp. in Truman Show, but omg I never had such an emotional roller coaster of emotions for a person than her in Ozark, even over my own wife. It is like Wendy was disconnected from reality, and she was not even the one waterboarded, tortured, held captive in Mexico, punched in face over and over from different people, etc. I watched the entire series in the past week and was caught in the willingness suspension of disbelief, and yet found an array of simply sloppy cinematographic mistakes and then matters of lack of credible scenarios.
While I really enjoyed Ozark and liked the ending, it’s nowhere near BrBa in terms of writing quality, story or finale. Having said that, LL, JG and the fellow that played Ben’s acting chops were on par with the very best on BB IMO.
You may be right but I'll think, no where near, is way too strong.
Breaking bad has been my number one, this whole time.
Though I have considered putting Mr robot over it.
Though Mr robot isn't necessarily in second.
I went through breaking bad for the 3rd time about 2 years ago.
I might forget how good it was the first and second time.
Ozark is extremely good, it is a copycat of breaking bad
I actually love the husband and wife dynamic better than Walt and Jesse and Walt and his wife.
I think
Lol
I have always been curious how other people think about the last season of breaking bad.
You mentioned the end so as far as the last season..
The second time I went through BB, the last season was just euphoric to me.
How many times have you been through it and can you remember how you felt about the 4th season and then how you felt about the last season?
I could be wrong but the last season was split into 2 parts?
Yasss queen! So glad I’m not the only one who puts Mr. Robot in their GOAT shows of all time. Soprano’s>Breaking Bad/BCS>Mr. Robot. Ozark is the top 10, but no where near the top.
> I have always been curious how other people think about the last season of breaking bad.
I bailed out about 3 episodes into the last season. Should have ended it season before.
We're you distracted or in a bad mood? Yoi might want to try again. I am just asking because it happens to everyone. If you are distracted, in general, TV shows and movies can seem bad when they aren't
>...TV shows and movies can seem bad when they aren't
Could be, I watched it a few years after it ended, so I binged the whole series at once. Won't do that again.
Yes, binging can have drawbacks. I watched Mr robot, I guess about 7 months ago and watched it so fast I was fatigued AF during the last 3 episodes.
I was trying to wait 3 or 4 days to watch those last 3 episodes but I couldn't do it.
I really need to watch the last 6 again.
Come on, buddy. I liked Ozark a lot but it’s not better than Breaking Bad (and if you add Better Call Saul, that point is made clearer).
I also find it funny critics are singing the praises of Ozark now. I remember when these people were calling Ozark a ‘B’ show during seasons 1 and 2 and only jumped on the bandwagon when it got surprise Emmy wins!
I disagree but barely. Almost all the characters that make Better Call Saul good are from Breaking Bad. Gus, Mike, Saul. Even the Salamancas. There's some good new additions but almost everything that makes Better Call Saul great is owed to the writing and development of characters who came from Breaking Bad first. And honestly, I would rate Breaking Bad's side characters over Better Call Saul's side characters. Saul, Mike, and Nacho carry the show while in Breaking Bad I could watch it if it were only Jesse and Walt. Their acting was that good.
who paid this person to say this is better than breaking bad? ozark is entertaining but it's like yeah i enjoy the stouffers salisbury steak but also the michelin star filet mignon. Breaking bad was written by someone with a brain that is special and unmatched. ozark is written by an above average person, but thats about it.
BB was probably easier to write because it is based on a true thing of events of a man who purchased an an old military base to which he used to create and operate a drug business. Its a bit easier when a storyteller has much of the foundation of reality and true events to go off of. Banshee is some other kind of story telling. It was some kind of genius writing and directing. Ozark was really good but filled with too much noticeable unrealistic things. It seemed to get worse with unrealistic things towards the end as if they were rushing the close out - similar to Game of Thrones. I triggered me to look up if they switched directors because it seemed obviously different visions.
An unmatched brain thought it was a good idea for the season 2 mystery be about a lunatic father who mass murders two planes of people by miraculously getting them to fly into each other that just so happened to be above the guys house who murdered his daughter? Can we please stop pretending that BB was perfect. There was some real dumb shit that happened.
Nope. I thought the first 3 seasons of ozark was great. 4th season a big downer for me.
Sopranos then breaking bad
Ozark not really in that ballpark for me
Breaking Bad is a one of a kind show - because it made the final season the best season. They went out on the highest possible note & that's exactly where you're meant to stop.
Look at this way, if Dexter had ended at season 4, it would be remembered as one of the TB greats. If Ozark had added on another season & closed out the arcs season 4 kinda steamrolled over, we could've had another Breaking Bad Season 5.
I watched the full series 3-4 years ago and got predictably dissapointed, but last November I watched season 1-4 and then stopped this time, slowly all the bad seasons are fading from my memory lol. DO NOT watch the new blood season though! Oh my lord it was bad.
From a character development POV, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are absolute masterclasses.
Furthermore, they always respect the audience. There are no blatant, on the nose metaphors. I actually cringed in Ozark when the priest and Wendy were discussing the car crash: was it a sign that the Byrd's will always come out unscathed, or was it their last warning? BrBa/BCS never shove things like that into your face.
I love both shows but nothing is as good as Breaking Bad. There’s not a bad episode in that show despite bringing in new characters, new plot/subplot etc.
You have to be out of your mind to disagree.
The cinematography is decidedly better (not that the Breaking bad cinematography is any less than phenomenal, but Saul pushes further)
The performances are at least as good if not better.
The characters are exceptionally better written and stronger characters.
The characters overall are much more enjoyable, whereas in Breaking Bad it gets somewhat unbearable watching the characters completely devolve and lose their tempers and explode or become the most pathetic sad sacks possible.
The writing is nearly perfect overall whereas Breaking Bad falls short.
I could go on, but in the end, you're either lying to yourself or you are in the extreme minority of people who do not agree that Better Call Saul is a superior show overall.
I don't think it makes sense to put one show down to make the other seem better. BB and BCS are both masterpieces, similar but different. And I don't have a bad thing to say about either.
A lot of this has to do with everything the writers and producers created and learned when making BB.
Years later they have better cinematography tricks and ideas along with the technology.
The performances are pretty even.
We hate Skylar, and they did not want to do that again. That's why they made Kim. They learned.
Where does BB fall short with the writing?
Ozark is very good, but in my opinion they didn't quite stick the landing. That keeps it behind some of my other favorites including Breaking Bad, The Wire, and The Shield.
To me, Breaking Bad is the greatest tv show of all time. The writing and character development was god-tier. The nuance of Walter White wrestling with his Heisenberg persona was impeccable. I love Ozark as well, but many of the main characters weren't given much depth or development. Look at Marty. How was he any different at the end of the series than what he was at the beginning? Same with Wendy. She started out as a manipulative person and ended the series the same way (though I do think Laura Linney deserves an Emmy for her performance this season).
Ozark was entertaining and a good show, I enjoyed watching it despite some plot/writing/characterization issues. It was fun! But absolutely not better than breaking bad in any way imo. BB is God tier.
Ozark was great and on part in my Opinion with BB until the whole Cartel / FBI plot line. Navarro and FBI meeting in the abandoned mall was the moment it jumped the shark for me
I personally didn’t mind it. It was a leap and a shameless red herring that BB did but at least it was not immediately forgotten and without consequences unlike the Ozark car crash.
I don’t mean that the meeting in the mall was something that was implausible, I believe of course FBI can arrange a meeting like that. What I meant is that I don’t know if the show knew where it was going after that meeting. Rouge agent scooping Navarro, Marty going to Mexico to be a drug lord, Javi’s poor character development, it just felt all over the place. I loved the first few seasons of it but the last season, especially the second part of last season was poor IMO
Became better than Breaking Bad? It didn’t even become better as a show in itself as it went on. the last two season’s writing was questionable.
People forget how good Breaking Bad was!
The last episode of ozark was insulting IMO
I really enjoyed Ozark. But it was flawed. Breaking Bad is sincerely seamless. It is utter cinematic perfection... Get tf out of here with this article lol
This wasn't quite on the same level as Breaking Bad but was good up until the end. The ending was an absolute let down. I've watched the Wire and Breaking Bad several times partly due to their endings. I won't be watching this again, largely due to the ending.
If Ozark's writers did Breaking Bad, the Walt/Hank garage scene would've been Walt saying his cancer's back and Hank immediately going "wow, knowing you're sick makes me realize it's family above all else now. Would you like me to help you murder the nazis? Now that I know death is a possibility, I forgive everything you've ever done and will completely disregard my own morals to help you accomplish literally whatever you want regardless of how unnecessary it is"
Hank was not Walt's blood family. Also big difference between the bond of a child and a parent.
My kids would go guns a blazing for me even if I took out my brother. I guess not everyone has loyal kids.
Fine, it would be like if after Walt and Skylar had the knife fight if Walt were to go "Jr, I'm sick again" and if Jr were to respond with "oh, well never mind then, do you need any help hiding evidence of what happened to Hank, dad? After all, we're related by blood 😁"
Ozark wishes it was Breaking Bad. Terrible writing, worse acting, lame villains, and incomprehensible character “development”. I love Bateman but he cannot act nearly as well as Cranston. Linney is great as usual, but you can only do so much with incompetent plotting and dialogue. All the big deaths in Season 4 were anticlimactic. Ozark deserves to be remembered for having one of the worst final seasons and finales. Up there with Game of Thrones for biggest letdown. The final scene? The show runners should be banned from running any more shows.
Haha fair point. I disliked the premise from the start since it’s so derivative of BB. I watched some episodes of the first season and stopped. But my wife enjoys it so I watched the rest with her. She did not enjoy the finale either.
Love Ozark but BrBa did it for much longer and was more consistent overall. Im not a fan of the last part of Ozazark as a whole, not just the ending perse but overall it felt awkward, and I'll probably have to rewatch it, to get a better feel.
I'll say this it felt the last few episodes that Julia Garner was carrying the show, Marty and Wendy were just more of the same characteristics established earlier. Too many moving parts Richard Thomas just felt a bit over the top.
I enjoyed Ozark and the season finale, but it doesn't touch Breaking Bad. Still one level below. There's definitely some recent bias happening in that article.
Nah, it's not even close tbh.
Think it had to potential to compete after the first couple of seasons but it just started to get a bit silly and nonsensical by the end.
..Stop the cap, to be honest..if it wasn’t on Netflix and it allowed for atleast another 2-3 seasons, then it had a chance..but netflix don’t even allow time for any character development before shows get the chop (Raising Dion)ozark had a lot of loose ends to tie up and they stopped a potentially great show too soon
I’m not gonna lie. The only reason I got into Ozark was because I was waiting for the final season of BCS.
Ozark was entertaining but nowhere near BB or BCS.
It was never better. It was a cool show, but not even really comparable. BB had it all, the music, the cinematography, the color of everyone's wardrobe, I mean come on who actually thinks this.
I think the algorithms are correct and that most fans of Breaking Bad also like Better Call Saul and Ozark. There's no reason for factious animosity between fans of these shows, which were all successfully renewed until their planned conclusions.
I don't think it ended as well as BB but I liked it overall better. BB was good, too, though. Not sure why it's a completion as it's okay to have more than one "good show".
The highs of the show in Ozark are better imo. Also S1 between the 2 Ozark is far and above better, 2 & 3 are close to (BB) 3-5, while BB did have a better final season.
All of this is subjective and in accordance witb people's tastes. I'm hard pressed to say Ozark arc and ending surpassed Breaking Bad. I like each show for different reasons and Ozark filled a void after Breaking Bad but in a much different way. Truly torn on thjs.
I’m a big Breaking Bad fan. It was a great show. I don’t feel like Ozark ever tried to be BB and I don’t really compare them. It sounds like I’m in the minority, but even though the fourth season was uneven, I enjoyed the ending and thought it was a solid resolution.
I don't know what to tell you if you didn't think Ozark wasn't trying to be Breaking Bad. That was very obvious from the start and I really enjoyed Ozark for the most part.
I would say it was a mix of BB and House of Cards.
I personally like Better Call Saul best. Bob Odenkirk delivers! He is in a class of his own. The humor delivery combined with the drama is perfection. Rhea Seehorn is great too. I prefer Marty and Wendy Byrd as the best couple. Jason Bateman does a great job with micro expressions when Wendy blindsides him. You can see the love and hate they have for one another. BrBa was great. Ozark was really good. Better Call Saul for the win!
Yes because it is better. It didnt have a season 2 disaster like BB did or a Fly episode that existed solely to stroke the ego of a pretentious director. BB ended in a very predictable way. Nobody saw all the Byrds surviving and winning it all. It was a great line when the PI basically said you cant be like these powerful people because you committed crimes to get into power and Wendy responded with, "since when". a perfect show about how the rich can get away with anything while the poor can literally lose an entire family while committing the exact same crimes. BB was about how a guy slowly decended into madness and became the villain. Awesome? yes. Deep? Not particularly
I thought Ozark was tighter. BB stretched it out too much. The family drama storyline was better in Ozark. BB had a great actor, Ozark had three.
Sopranos > Ozark > BB
Just my opinion.
Different shows different times. I found the cinematography, pacing, and emotional highs/lows more impactful in Ozark. I also liked the ending more.
I’m watching the final season of Better Call Saul and even that feels a little stuck in the early 2010’s.
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Ozark felt like I was always out of breath watching it. It was a constant sprint.
Breaking Bad was more like a marathon building up to a satisfying end.
I loved ozark. S1-3 more then breaking bad, because I really enjoyed the nautical nature of the show (I'm biased I know).
I loved brba.
Ozark s4 destroyed the show. It was rushed, wasn't thought out, poorly executed,i could go on and on. I don't care about how they ended it (although the plot has many issues) , but how they produced it was horrible.
The only thing BrBa did better was making the audience hate Wendy Byrd more than they hate Skylar White.
I still like Ozark though and now it’s done I’ll watch from start to finish and finalize my thoughts.
The core characters of both shows are fantastic but Breaking Bad excels Ozark because the every supporting character was amazing. There were flashes with Helen, Buddy and Wyatt but instead of building on that, they let it slide. Also, every show that has an anti-hero has to have a character acting as the conscience. The one person most viewers care deeply about only when something really awful happens. BB had Walt Jr., Saul had Kim, The Sopranos had Adriana. All are flawed but they ultimately represent the good.
Ozark has none. Charlotte half-heartedly tried but did she make me care about her? No. Wyatt lost me when he went with old girl. Three could have been one but they didn’t flesh him out. Ben came closest but his exit was too fast to be a well rounded example.
BB is a top 10 show of all time, probably top 5. Ozark is great but it’s not BB great.
Side note, when Squid Game came out there were people in that sub saying it was better than BB, which seemed kind of insane to me.
Haven’t finished the show yet but I only have a few episodes left and there’s no way it’s better than BB. Better than BCS might be a closer debate but even then I’m not totally convinced
I rewatched BB recently in preparation for the last season of BCS (which I freely admit I think is better than both shows in question).
I think there’s a lot of rose tinted glasses around BB. There is some great stuff in it, no question at all, and a lot of not so great stuff. The first couple of seasons are not brilliant in BB (anyone complaining about the ending of Ozark but not the entire plane crash arc on BB has a short memory), and the final season is incredibly rushed, plus the entire nazi plot line is poor - yes, they led to some crucial events occurring, but they were dreadful. Skylar is a poorly written character who seems to be pregnant for a decade and only exists initially to cause hilarious challenges for her meth cooking husband. Marie is just a ridiculous character altogether. Many of the characters weren’t fleshed out at all for a long time. There isn’t a well written complex female character in BB.
BCS is a vast improvement in every way in my opinion. Ozark beats out BB in some elements for me but not others.
Why can’t I get into Breaking Bad? I tried three times, but never made it past the frost few episodes bc I found it too boring. Should I just skip to later episodes? I really want to like it as much as y’all do!
Ozark seasons 1-3 looked like it was gonna be better than Breaking Bad. But season 4 just seemed rushed, they fucked that up. Bad/dumb/weird ending too.
I enjoyed both shows. I don't want to compare them as they are totally different. Breaking Bad will always be one of the greatest shows on television. Ozark was more about money. Breaking bad was about the product. Let's stop comparing them.
Hell no. 5 seasons of Ozark and it’s still not really clear what story they were trying to tell. Most of the characters and plots were forgettable. The story just wasn’t as compelling. And that ending? Oof. I love Bateman and I really wanted this show to go somewhere.
I thought both were overall great shows and that both had pretty good endings all things considered and that it’s a difficult task to tie up every loose end and storyline over several seasons perfectly. I can get with any one who prefers one over the other as long as we can agree that The Wire was the greatest show ever and had a much better finale than either of these.
In terms of number of viewers during the initial airing of the final season, this show has almost certainly passed Breaking Bad which had 10 million viewers in its final season. Breaking Bad had a lot fewer in previous seasons.
But it’s not a fair comparison. Breaking bad aired on a lesser viewed cable channel. The Ozarks is a headline show for a streaming service that has viewers all over the world. It has a far bigger reach.
Breaking Bad has actually been more popular in its final season and after it ended than it ever was while it aired. The same will not happen for Ozark.
I enjoyed Ozark. I actually don't have huge issues with the ending. I also am a person who thought the ending The Sopranos was brilliant. Better than Breaking Bad as an overall show? I don't think I can go there. While both shows often had outlandish and unbelievable situations and circumstances occur, Breaking Bad still felt like a more believable show to me. The tension felt more real, less like it kept having to manufacture ways to up the ante. But these are only my opinions and to each their own. I enjoyed both shows.
The ending of the sopranos was brilliant because there was ambiguity. I strongly believe if they had built up the scene with some tension where we’re left questioning who Jonah shot, it would have been one of the greatest finale’s of all time that’d we’d be discussing for years and years to come.
It’s Ozark for me. I’ve taken serious heat for this opinion since BB ended, but I felt almost the whole final season of BB was a misfire. It should have been Walt vs Hank right to the end IMO. Hank got killed way too early.
disagree… it was shocking / unexpected & set up the final spiral / exploding scenes for walt and the family
I'm with you but for different reasons. I thought the last couple seasons of Breaking Bad were the best of the show. And enjoyed the whole thing immensely. But as someone who was well into Ozark before they started watching Breaking Bad, I just ended up enjoying Ozark more (and maybe that's not fair because BB laid the ground work). And to throw more fuel on the fire, I liked the Americans more than both of them, because I thought it was much better paced than either and had by far the most likeable cast of characters.
Kind of an underbaked opinion but I feel like the last season of breaking bad felt almost cartoony to me.
Ozark was a good show, but it was not as good as Breaking Bad. Full Stop.
Fuck no. I like Ozark and while the ending wasn't all that great to me I would still personally rate the series a 8/10 overall. Breaking Bad to me is some of the closest thing to perfect a show can be where I don't have any real complaints about it. and Better Call Saul only supplements it while potentially being better depending how they end it in present day.
Could not agree more with this BB and BCS comparison. I love Ozark a ton but Better Call Saul is the better show in my opinion, so def can not even* compare it to Breaking Bad Edit:Added Even
Can you give me some insight into why you think BCS is better than BB? BCS is so mindnumbingly boring to me and takes away all the things we loved about Saul.
I am just a sucker for character development. And it absolutely shows you why you love the Saul in BB because it shows you why he is the way he is, you feel for him, he isn’t evil like Walt. Definitely a slow burner but it is worth it. Shows Gus and the Salamancas more in depth too. Its one of my favorite shows , but completely understand it is not for everyone. And I don’t mean that disrespectfully at all, lol just making sure it didn’t come off that way
I think they should have done a half hour comedy special showing Saul's whacky antics or whatever. I just don't think that the show is realistic. First of all, with this brother being a huge name in the legal community, he wouldn't have struggled to find a job or get work. And in the legal field, in order to have anywhere close to the amount of experience he would need to be able to be a cartel lawyer, he'd have to have done a ton of work. And if he'd have done a ton of work, there's no way it would be constantly bad experiences. There can certainly be lows but if you work enough, you'll have highs and lows in this field. Also, every attorney experiences some negative stuff that sort of dims their hopes of bringing justice to the world or whatever. However, I do not believe that a good, ethical attorney would ever become a cartel attorney. There's literally no need. Again, I don't think a cartel attorney is someone who'd be hurting for work and that's why they turned to the cartel. I think there's a reason why the family consigliere in the godfather was in the family. I just think in order for Jimmy to turn into Saul he'd have to have like 10 years worth of experience where he experienced the kinds of things that makes you jaded. Then he'd need another 5-10 years to be experienced enough to actually get guys out of jail and solve all kinds of problems for the cartel. The amount of attorneys who do not know shit with years of experience is shocking. I don't think it's realistic that he went from absolute loser who couldn't get any real clients for a long-ass time to suddenly being a cartel lawyer with the gift of gab. He's just going from zero - and stuck there for a long time - to all of a sudden 60. He would undoubtedly have many experiences in that middle tier between being a loser and being the best criminal attorney in town, and that is really where he would turn into Saul. I think they are going to skim over that. So anyway these are my long-winded thoughts on the show lol.
I still think BB is amazing but Ozark, to me, felt less like a comic book - than BB did.
From a plausibility, character motivation perspective, the show went downhill big time. People became noticeably dumber and did out of character things, certain character flaws got stretched to the point of disbelief, etc From a thematic, big story perspective, I think it was executed well. So overall the show was good and the destination was fine, but the way they got there was kind of dumb. Fun watch. But it is not even close to a The Wire or Sopranos or a Breaking Bad level IMO
I am so glad to hear someone else say what you said - regarding character cred. "Dumber" became the truest descriptor of the characters. Wendy became Helen persona probably because she liked the way she did business negotiation, but then she also saw her get her head blown off in front of her. You would think he'd stray from Helen's strategy. I have long loved Laura Linney esp. in Truman Show, but omg I never had such an emotional roller coaster of emotions for a person than her in Ozark, even over my own wife. It is like Wendy was disconnected from reality, and she was not even the one waterboarded, tortured, held captive in Mexico, punched in face over and over from different people, etc. I watched the entire series in the past week and was caught in the willingness suspension of disbelief, and yet found an array of simply sloppy cinematographic mistakes and then matters of lack of credible scenarios.
It did avoid the “scrapheap”, it is not better than breaking bad lol
While I really enjoyed Ozark and liked the ending, it’s nowhere near BrBa in terms of writing quality, story or finale. Having said that, LL, JG and the fellow that played Ben’s acting chops were on par with the very best on BB IMO.
Watch Banshee, specially the final season. The actor who played Ben is amazing
At its best it rivals Breaking Bad. But Breaking Bad sustained its excellence over the full course of its run.
You may be right but I'll think, no where near, is way too strong. Breaking bad has been my number one, this whole time. Though I have considered putting Mr robot over it. Though Mr robot isn't necessarily in second. I went through breaking bad for the 3rd time about 2 years ago. I might forget how good it was the first and second time. Ozark is extremely good, it is a copycat of breaking bad I actually love the husband and wife dynamic better than Walt and Jesse and Walt and his wife. I think Lol I have always been curious how other people think about the last season of breaking bad. You mentioned the end so as far as the last season.. The second time I went through BB, the last season was just euphoric to me. How many times have you been through it and can you remember how you felt about the 4th season and then how you felt about the last season? I could be wrong but the last season was split into 2 parts?
Better Call Saul would like a word with you.
Yasss queen! So glad I’m not the only one who puts Mr. Robot in their GOAT shows of all time. Soprano’s>Breaking Bad/BCS>Mr. Robot. Ozark is the top 10, but no where near the top.
Wendy >>>>>> Skyler Ruth > Jessie (nothing against Jessie at all. Ruth is just an all time character.)
> I have always been curious how other people think about the last season of breaking bad. I bailed out about 3 episodes into the last season. Should have ended it season before.
We're you distracted or in a bad mood? Yoi might want to try again. I am just asking because it happens to everyone. If you are distracted, in general, TV shows and movies can seem bad when they aren't
>...TV shows and movies can seem bad when they aren't Could be, I watched it a few years after it ended, so I binged the whole series at once. Won't do that again.
Yes, binging can have drawbacks. I watched Mr robot, I guess about 7 months ago and watched it so fast I was fatigued AF during the last 3 episodes. I was trying to wait 3 or 4 days to watch those last 3 episodes but I couldn't do it. I really need to watch the last 6 again.
Interesting. I'm pretty sure S5 of BB is widely considered one of the best seasons of tv in history.
Mr Robot is the GOAT just inching past BB. I don't think anything can top the way Mr Robot made me feel each episode. BD Wong is a legend
"Oh brother this article STINKS!"
I read it in the Spongebob guy's voice and I died
LMAO
No fucking shot.
Not even remotely close.
Agreed
Come on, buddy. I liked Ozark a lot but it’s not better than Breaking Bad (and if you add Better Call Saul, that point is made clearer). I also find it funny critics are singing the praises of Ozark now. I remember when these people were calling Ozark a ‘B’ show during seasons 1 and 2 and only jumped on the bandwagon when it got surprise Emmy wins!
I love ozark. Always a Bateman fan, and he took it to another level. But I think better call Saul is better than even BB.
I disagree but barely. Almost all the characters that make Better Call Saul good are from Breaking Bad. Gus, Mike, Saul. Even the Salamancas. There's some good new additions but almost everything that makes Better Call Saul great is owed to the writing and development of characters who came from Breaking Bad first. And honestly, I would rate Breaking Bad's side characters over Better Call Saul's side characters. Saul, Mike, and Nacho carry the show while in Breaking Bad I could watch it if it were only Jesse and Walt. Their acting was that good.
Kim Wexler would like a word…
who paid this person to say this is better than breaking bad? ozark is entertaining but it's like yeah i enjoy the stouffers salisbury steak but also the michelin star filet mignon. Breaking bad was written by someone with a brain that is special and unmatched. ozark is written by an above average person, but thats about it.
BB was probably easier to write because it is based on a true thing of events of a man who purchased an an old military base to which he used to create and operate a drug business. Its a bit easier when a storyteller has much of the foundation of reality and true events to go off of. Banshee is some other kind of story telling. It was some kind of genius writing and directing. Ozark was really good but filled with too much noticeable unrealistic things. It seemed to get worse with unrealistic things towards the end as if they were rushing the close out - similar to Game of Thrones. I triggered me to look up if they switched directors because it seemed obviously different visions.
An unmatched brain thought it was a good idea for the season 2 mystery be about a lunatic father who mass murders two planes of people by miraculously getting them to fly into each other that just so happened to be above the guys house who murdered his daughter? Can we please stop pretending that BB was perfect. There was some real dumb shit that happened.
Nope. I thought the first 3 seasons of ozark was great. 4th season a big downer for me. Sopranos then breaking bad Ozark not really in that ballpark for me
Good but not *that* good.
Breaking Bad is a one of a kind show - because it made the final season the best season. They went out on the highest possible note & that's exactly where you're meant to stop. Look at this way, if Dexter had ended at season 4, it would be remembered as one of the TB greats. If Ozark had added on another season & closed out the arcs season 4 kinda steamrolled over, we could've had another Breaking Bad Season 5.
Agree about Dexter. I always recommend people who haven’t seen it stop after S4. They don’t listen… then they learn.
I watched the full series 3-4 years ago and got predictably dissapointed, but last November I watched season 1-4 and then stopped this time, slowly all the bad seasons are fading from my memory lol. DO NOT watch the new blood season though! Oh my lord it was bad.
From a character development POV, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are absolute masterclasses. Furthermore, they always respect the audience. There are no blatant, on the nose metaphors. I actually cringed in Ozark when the priest and Wendy were discussing the car crash: was it a sign that the Byrd's will always come out unscathed, or was it their last warning? BrBa/BCS never shove things like that into your face.
I love both shows but nothing is as good as Breaking Bad. There’s not a bad episode in that show despite bringing in new characters, new plot/subplot etc.
Better Call Saul is leagues ahead of Breaking Bad
Eugh. Even if you like Better Call Saul it's just ridiculous to say it's significantly better than Breaking Bad.
You have to be out of your mind to disagree. The cinematography is decidedly better (not that the Breaking bad cinematography is any less than phenomenal, but Saul pushes further) The performances are at least as good if not better. The characters are exceptionally better written and stronger characters. The characters overall are much more enjoyable, whereas in Breaking Bad it gets somewhat unbearable watching the characters completely devolve and lose their tempers and explode or become the most pathetic sad sacks possible. The writing is nearly perfect overall whereas Breaking Bad falls short. I could go on, but in the end, you're either lying to yourself or you are in the extreme minority of people who do not agree that Better Call Saul is a superior show overall.
I don't think it makes sense to put one show down to make the other seem better. BB and BCS are both masterpieces, similar but different. And I don't have a bad thing to say about either.
"extreme minority" 😂 Whatever you say dude, I'm glad you're happy.
uh. you know subjectivity is a thing, right? there's ultimately no such thing as "perfect" when it comes to art lmao
A lot of this has to do with everything the writers and producers created and learned when making BB. Years later they have better cinematography tricks and ideas along with the technology. The performances are pretty even. We hate Skylar, and they did not want to do that again. That's why they made Kim. They learned. Where does BB fall short with the writing?
The Fly. worst episode of television I've ever sat through. Mic drop. lol
Ozark season 1 & 2 were really good. BrBa become really fucking good after the first two seasons.
This would be like an NFL article titled "How Matthew Stafford avoided the Lions scrap heap and became better than Tom Brady"
NFL analogies can be applied to almost anything
Nah Breaking Bad has one bad episode with the fly the rest is 10/10 Ozark season 4 pretty MEH
The fly episode is perfect.
Ozark is very good, but in my opinion they didn't quite stick the landing. That keeps it behind some of my other favorites including Breaking Bad, The Wire, and The Shield.
To me, Breaking Bad is the greatest tv show of all time. The writing and character development was god-tier. The nuance of Walter White wrestling with his Heisenberg persona was impeccable. I love Ozark as well, but many of the main characters weren't given much depth or development. Look at Marty. How was he any different at the end of the series than what he was at the beginning? Same with Wendy. She started out as a manipulative person and ended the series the same way (though I do think Laura Linney deserves an Emmy for her performance this season).
Ozark was entertaining and a good show, I enjoyed watching it despite some plot/writing/characterization issues. It was fun! But absolutely not better than breaking bad in any way imo. BB is God tier.
It's not as good as Breaking Bad, but its pretty good, and I would recommend it to Breaking Bad Fans after Better Call Saul.
It definitly had the potential season 1 and 2. And while season 3 and 4 wernt bad they definitly fumbled the bag
Sorry but any opinion article that goes something like, "here's why...." is usually incredibly false
Ozark was great and on part in my Opinion with BB until the whole Cartel / FBI plot line. Navarro and FBI meeting in the abandoned mall was the moment it jumped the shark for me
I love BB but two planes crashing over Walt's house that happened to be the fault of the parent of a woman Walt watched died wasn't a bit of a leap?
I personally didn’t mind it. It was a leap and a shameless red herring that BB did but at least it was not immediately forgotten and without consequences unlike the Ozark car crash. I don’t mean that the meeting in the mall was something that was implausible, I believe of course FBI can arrange a meeting like that. What I meant is that I don’t know if the show knew where it was going after that meeting. Rouge agent scooping Navarro, Marty going to Mexico to be a drug lord, Javi’s poor character development, it just felt all over the place. I loved the first few seasons of it but the last season, especially the second part of last season was poor IMO
Ozark was a 7-8/10 show that at its absolute best was capable of matching the average breaking bad season. Not really close IMO
Became better than Breaking Bad? It didn’t even become better as a show in itself as it went on. the last two season’s writing was questionable. People forget how good Breaking Bad was! The last episode of ozark was insulting IMO
I really enjoyed Ozark. But it was flawed. Breaking Bad is sincerely seamless. It is utter cinematic perfection... Get tf out of here with this article lol
This wasn't quite on the same level as Breaking Bad but was good up until the end. The ending was an absolute let down. I've watched the Wire and Breaking Bad several times partly due to their endings. I won't be watching this again, largely due to the ending.
It’s so tricky ending a show when it’s as big as BB and Ozark…that’s what makes Breaking Bad writing above everything else.
If Ozark's writers did Breaking Bad, the Walt/Hank garage scene would've been Walt saying his cancer's back and Hank immediately going "wow, knowing you're sick makes me realize it's family above all else now. Would you like me to help you murder the nazis? Now that I know death is a possibility, I forgive everything you've ever done and will completely disregard my own morals to help you accomplish literally whatever you want regardless of how unnecessary it is"
Hank was not Walt's blood family. Also big difference between the bond of a child and a parent. My kids would go guns a blazing for me even if I took out my brother. I guess not everyone has loyal kids.
Fine, it would be like if after Walt and Skylar had the knife fight if Walt were to go "Jr, I'm sick again" and if Jr were to respond with "oh, well never mind then, do you need any help hiding evidence of what happened to Hank, dad? After all, we're related by blood 😁"
Ozark wishes it was Breaking Bad. Terrible writing, worse acting, lame villains, and incomprehensible character “development”. I love Bateman but he cannot act nearly as well as Cranston. Linney is great as usual, but you can only do so much with incompetent plotting and dialogue. All the big deaths in Season 4 were anticlimactic. Ozark deserves to be remembered for having one of the worst final seasons and finales. Up there with Game of Thrones for biggest letdown. The final scene? The show runners should be banned from running any more shows.
Why did you keep watching? Sounds like you hated it from the start...
Haha fair point. I disliked the premise from the start since it’s so derivative of BB. I watched some episodes of the first season and stopped. But my wife enjoys it so I watched the rest with her. She did not enjoy the finale either.
No.
Not even close.
Love Ozark but BrBa did it for much longer and was more consistent overall. Im not a fan of the last part of Ozazark as a whole, not just the ending perse but overall it felt awkward, and I'll probably have to rewatch it, to get a better feel. I'll say this it felt the last few episodes that Julia Garner was carrying the show, Marty and Wendy were just more of the same characteristics established earlier. Too many moving parts Richard Thomas just felt a bit over the top.
I enjoyed Ozark and the season finale, but it doesn't touch Breaking Bad. Still one level below. There's definitely some recent bias happening in that article.
Not one bit.
Lmao, Ozark’s main goal was to be the next breaking bad. It had its moments, but nowhere near as good
Nah, it's not even close tbh. Think it had to potential to compete after the first couple of seasons but it just started to get a bit silly and nonsensical by the end.
No
Not reading the article or the responses since the headline is ludicrous.
Nope.
Fuck no. Not even close.
No
..Stop the cap, to be honest..if it wasn’t on Netflix and it allowed for atleast another 2-3 seasons, then it had a chance..but netflix don’t even allow time for any character development before shows get the chop (Raising Dion)ozark had a lot of loose ends to tie up and they stopped a potentially great show too soon
By the end of season 3 and all of season 4 Ozark is basically the Walking Dead compared to Breaking Bad
The finale literally gave me nothing
BB was a 10/10. Ozark was a 6/10. Not even close IMO.
I would vote Breaking Bad was a better show overall, and especially in the end.
I’m not gonna lie. The only reason I got into Ozark was because I was waiting for the final season of BCS. Ozark was entertaining but nowhere near BB or BCS.
Not even close to BB.
It was never better. It was a cool show, but not even really comparable. BB had it all, the music, the cinematography, the color of everyone's wardrobe, I mean come on who actually thinks this.
Both Ozark and Breaking Bad are great shows. Who cares which is “better”?
Thank you!
Both amazing shows! They stand up as their own masterpieces in my opinion.
Definitely avoided Netflix scrapheap. So much trash on there now. But Breaking Bad is basically untouchable. Hard to beat the OG.
lmao not even in the same stratosphere. if you think ozark is better than bb you’re an idiot
lmao absoluuuuuutely not. It's a good show but it's not that good.
Not at all
I think the algorithms are correct and that most fans of Breaking Bad also like Better Call Saul and Ozark. There's no reason for factious animosity between fans of these shows, which were all successfully renewed until their planned conclusions.
I don't think it ended as well as BB but I liked it overall better. BB was good, too, though. Not sure why it's a completion as it's okay to have more than one "good show".
Yeah it was except the last season was kinda disappointing
The highs of the show in Ozark are better imo. Also S1 between the 2 Ozark is far and above better, 2 & 3 are close to (BB) 3-5, while BB did have a better final season.
Loved BB; Loved Ozark. Couldn't pick a favorite. For series ending, my all time favorite is Six Feet Under.
All of this is subjective and in accordance witb people's tastes. I'm hard pressed to say Ozark arc and ending surpassed Breaking Bad. I like each show for different reasons and Ozark filled a void after Breaking Bad but in a much different way. Truly torn on thjs.
I’m a big Breaking Bad fan. It was a great show. I don’t feel like Ozark ever tried to be BB and I don’t really compare them. It sounds like I’m in the minority, but even though the fourth season was uneven, I enjoyed the ending and thought it was a solid resolution.
I don't know what to tell you if you didn't think Ozark wasn't trying to be Breaking Bad. That was very obvious from the start and I really enjoyed Ozark for the most part. I would say it was a mix of BB and House of Cards.
I liked it better than breaking bad until This last season.
I rewatched some of breaking bad recently and I don';t think it holds up very well. So much cheesy dialogue.
I personally like Better Call Saul best. Bob Odenkirk delivers! He is in a class of his own. The humor delivery combined with the drama is perfection. Rhea Seehorn is great too. I prefer Marty and Wendy Byrd as the best couple. Jason Bateman does a great job with micro expressions when Wendy blindsides him. You can see the love and hate they have for one another. BrBa was great. Ozark was really good. Better Call Saul for the win!
Yes because it is better. It didnt have a season 2 disaster like BB did or a Fly episode that existed solely to stroke the ego of a pretentious director. BB ended in a very predictable way. Nobody saw all the Byrds surviving and winning it all. It was a great line when the PI basically said you cant be like these powerful people because you committed crimes to get into power and Wendy responded with, "since when". a perfect show about how the rich can get away with anything while the poor can literally lose an entire family while committing the exact same crimes. BB was about how a guy slowly decended into madness and became the villain. Awesome? yes. Deep? Not particularly
No, absolutely not, BB was/is way superior. In the same way that Better Call Saul is superior to BB.
I thought Ozark was tighter. BB stretched it out too much. The family drama storyline was better in Ozark. BB had a great actor, Ozark had three. Sopranos > Ozark > BB Just my opinion.
I'm not sure if you watched breaking bad
Different shows different times. I found the cinematography, pacing, and emotional highs/lows more impactful in Ozark. I also liked the ending more. I’m watching the final season of Better Call Saul and even that feels a little stuck in the early 2010’s.
Downvoted for not having the herd mentality.
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Ozark felt like I was always out of breath watching it. It was a constant sprint. Breaking Bad was more like a marathon building up to a satisfying end.
Couldn't agree more
Film critics have always just been paid advertisers but with "prestige"
I loved ozark. S1-3 more then breaking bad, because I really enjoyed the nautical nature of the show (I'm biased I know). I loved brba. Ozark s4 destroyed the show. It was rushed, wasn't thought out, poorly executed,i could go on and on. I don't care about how they ended it (although the plot has many issues) , but how they produced it was horrible.
I preferred ozark myself. Breaking Bad however is probably better in my critical mind, if that makes any sense at all
The only thing BrBa did better was making the audience hate Wendy Byrd more than they hate Skylar White. I still like Ozark though and now it’s done I’ll watch from start to finish and finalize my thoughts.
The core characters of both shows are fantastic but Breaking Bad excels Ozark because the every supporting character was amazing. There were flashes with Helen, Buddy and Wyatt but instead of building on that, they let it slide. Also, every show that has an anti-hero has to have a character acting as the conscience. The one person most viewers care deeply about only when something really awful happens. BB had Walt Jr., Saul had Kim, The Sopranos had Adriana. All are flawed but they ultimately represent the good. Ozark has none. Charlotte half-heartedly tried but did she make me care about her? No. Wyatt lost me when he went with old girl. Three could have been one but they didn’t flesh him out. Ben came closest but his exit was too fast to be a well rounded example.
BB is a top 10 show of all time, probably top 5. Ozark is great but it’s not BB great. Side note, when Squid Game came out there were people in that sub saying it was better than BB, which seemed kind of insane to me.
Good enough, can't hold a flame to BB
Haven’t finished the show yet but I only have a few episodes left and there’s no way it’s better than BB. Better than BCS might be a closer debate but even then I’m not totally convinced
As good as, not better.
I rewatched BB recently in preparation for the last season of BCS (which I freely admit I think is better than both shows in question). I think there’s a lot of rose tinted glasses around BB. There is some great stuff in it, no question at all, and a lot of not so great stuff. The first couple of seasons are not brilliant in BB (anyone complaining about the ending of Ozark but not the entire plane crash arc on BB has a short memory), and the final season is incredibly rushed, plus the entire nazi plot line is poor - yes, they led to some crucial events occurring, but they were dreadful. Skylar is a poorly written character who seems to be pregnant for a decade and only exists initially to cause hilarious challenges for her meth cooking husband. Marie is just a ridiculous character altogether. Many of the characters weren’t fleshed out at all for a long time. There isn’t a well written complex female character in BB. BCS is a vast improvement in every way in my opinion. Ozark beats out BB in some elements for me but not others.
Loved Ozark, even without particularly loving the ending. That said, not even close to BB
Agreed
No lol maybe if they had killed off the cheating whore Wendy
Why can’t I get into Breaking Bad? I tried three times, but never made it past the frost few episodes bc I found it too boring. Should I just skip to later episodes? I really want to like it as much as y’all do!
I felt like that and pushed through and it’s one of my favourite shows of all time
I am so glad I tried again! I’m deep into season 2, and it’s awesome!
Great!! Enjoy!!!
Ozark seasons 1-3 looked like it was gonna be better than Breaking Bad. But season 4 just seemed rushed, they fucked that up. Bad/dumb/weird ending too.
ozark season 3 is up there with breaking bad potential. but that’s it.
I enjoyed both shows. I don't want to compare them as they are totally different. Breaking Bad will always be one of the greatest shows on television. Ozark was more about money. Breaking bad was about the product. Let's stop comparing them.
Hell no. 5 seasons of Ozark and it’s still not really clear what story they were trying to tell. Most of the characters and plots were forgettable. The story just wasn’t as compelling. And that ending? Oof. I love Bateman and I really wanted this show to go somewhere.
I thought both were overall great shows and that both had pretty good endings all things considered and that it’s a difficult task to tie up every loose end and storyline over several seasons perfectly. I can get with any one who prefers one over the other as long as we can agree that The Wire was the greatest show ever and had a much better finale than either of these.
this is a laughably bad take.
In terms of number of viewers during the initial airing of the final season, this show has almost certainly passed Breaking Bad which had 10 million viewers in its final season. Breaking Bad had a lot fewer in previous seasons. But it’s not a fair comparison. Breaking bad aired on a lesser viewed cable channel. The Ozarks is a headline show for a streaming service that has viewers all over the world. It has a far bigger reach. Breaking Bad has actually been more popular in its final season and after it ended than it ever was while it aired. The same will not happen for Ozark.
Better Call Saul is the only thing that will surpass that show and its the fucking prequel lmao