Binge watching The Wire vs Breaking Bad, which one holds up better on a rewatch?

I just finished my third run through The Wire and it felt like I caught new details in every season, but when I tried rewatching Breaking Bad again it felt slower and more drawn out the second time. The Wire's slow burn actually gets better while Breaking Bad's big moments lose their punch once you know what's coming. Anyone else find that rewatchability is what really separates a great show from a decent one?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_owens9d ago

It's funny you mention the slow burn thing, because I remember watching The Wire the first time and being like 'ok when does this get good' around episode 4. But my buddy kept telling me to stick with it. Then on a second watch I picked up on how McNulty's whole thing with his ex wife actually ties back to that first scene with the kid in the project. Meanwhile breaking bad I tried rewatching and I got to the fly episode and just sort of drifted off. That episode kills the whole rewatch momentum for me, idk. The Wire feels like a novel you keep finding stuff in, Breaking Bad feels like a movie you already know the ending to.

finleythomas8d ago

Wait the ex wife stuff ties back to that kid in the very first scene??