by 
The American tv audience in 2013 looks like a lot of other facets of our national life in the sense that there’s a crucial, relatively unbreachable dichotomy.
Call it Network vs. Cable, Dumb vs. Smart, CSI vs. Mad Men … whatever the case, there’s a sense that you can be specified by the sort of show you view. What made Breaking Bad so unique, then, was that it became an American Television Event that quickly transcended this divide.
Each Sunday night, particularly as the final period drew to a close, the jarring opening theme was a clarion call for viewers throughout the nation, on the coastlines and in the locations between.
The floating green blocks with their atomic symbols sent us scurrying excitedly to Facebook and twitter searching for like minds. We called our friends and loved ones throughout commercials, and we searched the Internet for testimonials when it was over.
The conclusion of Walter White’s tale cultivated that rarest of phenomenons– a real nation-wide connection. More than 10 million homes tuned in to see the finale, the sort of numbers no cable drama without zombies has ever approached, and for one night, our experience was communal; Breaking Bad went beyond the polarized American audience.
You can enjoy it with your hipster good friend, your spouse, which one auntie who will not stop posting on Facebook. Consider the shows on tv now, and the viewing blocs they stand for, and tell me– when will that ever happen once again?
Creators: Vince Gilligan
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, RJ Mitte, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, Bob Odenkirk
