We've come to a point where television has become so loaded with “vampire-this” and “werewolf-that,” that each show has begun to look like the reruns of another. Luckily, this definitely isn't the case for creator Vince Gilligan's, Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad follows the life of Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston), an ordinary high school chemistry teacher. With a loving wife and teenage son at home, over time, Walter has formed an exceedingly mundane routine for his life. After soon discovering that he had been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, Walter decided to take extreme measures in order to secure his family financially. Eventually, he would descend into a world so dark and utterly twisted, that it would eventually consume him. Walter White became Heisenberg; the greatest drug lord the streets had ever seen. As he ascended in status within the drug cartel, the love and trust he had from his family and friends quickly descended. There are thousands of reasons that explain why millions of people tune into Breaking Bad. This series offers a much needed relief from the Dracula descendents, which frankly, are slowly diminishing any scope of variety existing on television. Because of the outstanding acting, seemingly distorted reality, and uniquely relatable storyline and characters, this hit show tops the charts as the best modern-day television series that cable has to offer.
Back in 2000, viewers were introduced to Bryan Cranston in the television show, Malcolm in the Middle. He played the role of a father with three extremely unruly children. His acting was good, and he played an integral role in the series, yet it was nothing close to the magnitude of greatness in Breaking Bad. This comparison can be easily appl...
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...with Breaking Bad. Gilligan admitted while standing alongside his award-winning cast members at the 2013 Emmy Awards that, “You have hopes and dreams, but I never even thought this show would go on the air.” The renowned creator of this hit series brilliantly pieced together a dark world filled with cartel, crime, and crystal meth. Thanks to the flawless acting, the surreal mix of scientific fact paired with creative vision, and the immensely engaging characters, there is no doubt that Breaking Bad stands as the single dominating modern-day television series America has to offer.
Works Cited
Gilligan, Vince. "Blood Money."Breaking Bad. AMC. New York, NY, 11 Aug. 2013. Television.
Gilligan, Vince. "Ozymandias." Breaking Bad. AMC. New York, NY, 15 Sept. 2013. Television.
Gilligan, Vince. "Fifty-One." Breaking Bad. AMC. New York, NY, 5 Aug. 2012. Television.
The Breaking Bad television series has been memorable to viewers due to its diverse plot and stirring scenes. Vince Gillian incorporated Scholes matrices of power into his piece. Rhetoric has played an important roll in Breaking Bad, pathos, ethos, and logos have brought this film to another level. Allowing a sense of emotion, logic and credibility, within each episode. The series has been culturally relatable to viewers and the visually fascinating. Through narrativity the series has offered us intense plot lines and climaxes that are hard for viewers to resist and keep people watching. Through rhetoric analysis you are able to see the significance of Scholes matrices of power in Vince Gillian’s film, Breaking Bad.
In the article “TV’s Callous Neglect of Working- Class America” written by Noel Murray explains the modern day TV shows un-relatable plots to Americans today. Murray describes how shows in the ‘50s through the ‘90s were relatable to Americans and how they lived their lives. The TV shows then were able to get such great reviews because the jobs the actors had in the shows were average money making jobs. The characters are meticulously when it came to how they used the money they earned. However, as the years have passed, the shows that are on today are not as relatable to Americans. The shows express the fantasy, perfect life that everyone strives to have, but in reality, it is not possible for every family. The programs on today do not convey the difficulties that average Americans face each day, causing the shows to become more and more relatable to average TV viewers.
Meat head, dumb jock. These are just two of the many derogatory labels given to football players. Is it possible for me, a meat head, to hear the criticisms dealt to the sport of football? Is it possible for me, a dumb football jock, to understand and be objective about the issues raised in the book, Friday Night Lights? Yes, because I'm not the stereotypical football player like those described of Odessa, Texas.
The reason for me picking Breaking Bad for my media analysis paper is because it was a fantastic TV series. This for me was one of the very few TV series I have followed across all five seasons.
M*A*S*H had a line up of characters that brought different kinds of humor to the show, Hawkeye pierce is the main character and appears in all 256 episodes, he is a prankster, a womanizer, drinks a lot, and brings light humor to the show. Trapper John was hawkeyes right hand man and stated with him the entire series, he was the class clown of the group and brought lots of dry humor to the show. B.J. hunnicut was the voice of reason to hawkeye and tried to keep
Money. Cash Money. The thing that people will go to extreme lengths for, the object that will bring a person to their knees in the face of life because it has so much power and control over everyone who uses it. In the hit series, Breaking Bad, the program has a large variety of twists, topics and lenses that could be discussed in this assignment. However, I will be discussing the socio-economic lens due to the dominant roles that the producers had money play on the characters, the choices that they make and the results of many outcomes within the program while practically ignoring the main storyline of the show, which is a former highly chemist using his knowledge to become a drug lord in the making and selling of methamphetamine.
A more recent show that has been able to gain this success is "The Hughley's". It is said to be "probably one of the best things that's happened this year" according to WB Entertainment President Garth Ancier. This show is said to have "wide spread appeal", and it also helps that it follows right after "Home Improvement"(Hall 12). Although following such a well known show helps out with the viewers, the show is getting more and more popular, and will hopefully cause a change in the way networks associate black television with failure.
Throughout the physical research of this study I have found out a lot more about this show than could have ever crossed minds before, one example being that this show has be premiered and marketed so well to the point that the viewer have almost no resistance to not believe what the show is trying to instill into our minds. These shows also categorize the characters, some are “good” guys and others are bad guys, but who is actually decided these labels? Are the categories fair? Many would say yes based off the plot line of the show, but some wonder if the bad guys have an equal amount of air time to defend themselves. These factors bring up a conflict of narration weather or not every character is portrayed in a way that they could be like-able which not the case in The Blacklist is. This “good” guy, bad guy routine is commonly used in crime shows and movies, but is not a true example of real life that these shows depict to do. In a sense these real-life shows are the complete opposite not giving the audience a real conclusion o...
Many American’s have been captivated by the television show The Walking Dead since it’s beginning on AMC. The show focuses on the post-apocalyptic world after a living dead outbreak. The show pushes the audience to predict how one might act during the end of the world. Throughout the series The Walking Dead illustrates the survival techniques of Glenn Rhee, Rick Grimes, and Daryl Dixon. Each character on the show depicts very different lifestyle decisions in order to survive. The Walking Dead brings each character to life in a new and refreshing way allowing the audience to feel as though they are in the characters shoes.
The Blacklist has been able to utilize its marketing strengths to better position itself in the industry. In entertainment, particularly the film and series sector, marketing is a challenging and dynamic function of business. Fortunately, the issue of marketing and positioning was not challenging for The Blacklist because of the brilliance of the actors, scriptwriters and producers of the show. The series is able to capture the attention of its audience, by casting its popular actors. Other audiences that have been and will continue to be crucial to The Blacklist’s success are the fans that each cast member has brought with them from their previous work. For inst...
NBC’s Hannibal’s first episode, Aperitif aired on April 4th, 2013 to 4.36 million viewers. The show is based on the acclaimed crime, horror, and drama books by Thomas Harris. The NBC series stands as a reboot for the cinematic Hannibal franchise, which became popular after the success of the 1991 cinematic adaption of Silence of the Lambs in which Anthony Hopkins famously portrayed the character of Hannibal Lecter, although the first Hannibal film was actually the 1986 film Manhunter, an adaption of Harris' Red Dragon. While the first three episodes enjoyed rating of around 4 to 3 million, the rest of the season’s rating hung around the low 2 million mark. Ratings this low combined with the show’s unusual subject matter and brutality almost guaranteed the show would be not be renewed for a second season. However, the show was renewed due to a strong fan reaction on the Internet, specifically from fans on the blog site Tumblr. While the show may not be attracting a large audience, it has an incredibly loyal and outspoken fan base. This is partially why I chose to do this show for this essay. I’ve been watching the show since day one, and there is something about it, the atmosphere, the cinematography, the dialogue, but most importantly the chemistry between Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal Lecter. Everything comes together so perfectly it was apparent from the first episode that Hannibal is show that will develop a loyal following of fans who will fight for its survival. What makes Hannibal unique is that it is a show that should exist on a premium cable network such as HBO or Showtime, however it exists and survives on NBC. Secondly, the show has gathered a large following on Tumblr, a site that is ...
The influence of the media on women is not unknown, but it was especially prevalent in the 1960s. According to David Croteau and William Hoynes, both professors of sociology, “Media images of women and men reflect and reproduce a whole set of stereotypical but changing gender roles” (quoted in Mahrdt 1) and, as society changes and opinions are altered, television shows adapt. However, the television show Mad Men is unique because it does not show life today, but the life of the 1960s. It shows what life was like for the women who lived during a time when the “feminine mystique” controlled society.
What lies in the world of politics is a world of fear. Or so for the ones who cross Francis Underwood, the main character in the Netflix original series, House of Cards. As season one starts off, Francis Underwood captures the true essence of what the entire show is about, “There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that's only suffering. I have no patience for useless things”(Script: reddit.com). As he finishes this line he brutally kills a dog lying on the street, who had just been injured after being hit by a car. He continues on, “Moments like this require someone like me. Someone who will act. Who will do what no one else has the courage to do. The unpleasant thing. The necessary thing” (Script: reddit.com). Through persuasion, manipulation and down right corrupt politics, House of Cards displays a unique spin on the world in Washington, one that some may believe not to be far from the truth.
The premise that show runner Vince Gilligan pitched was simple, “We’re going to turn Mr. Chips into Scarface.” It was a bold claim at the time that most television executives dismissed as a bad idea. You would take the show’s main character and slowly but surely turn him into the antagonist. This was unlike most shows at the time who dealt with antiheroes, they had almost always padded them out with sympathetic qualities or redeeming actions throughout their respective seasons like Tony Soprano or Vic Mackey of The Shield. No show had ever fully committed to the idea that its lead character could truly be a villain. Yet Walter White’s transformation from a down on his luck, cancer ridden teacher to a depraved drug kingpin named Heisenberg has
“Year after year, twenty-something women come to New York City in search of the two L's: labels and love” is the very catchy line that opens the film with Fergie’s ‘Labels or Love’ as the soundtrack and The Big Apple as its introductory shot. The scaling deduced from the bird’s eye-view-point of New York City, showing its Metropolitan atmosphere with skyscrapers and the famous Brooklyn Bridge; to the urbanites of the City; then to the lead actors of the film. A fifteen year-old girl watches the film, mesmerizing the ecstatic city while admiring the skinny white bodies of the ladies. And last but never forgotten, she gets carried away with the funky upbeat rhythm of the song emphasizing “Gucci, Fendi, [and] Prada . . .” That is the introduction of Sex and the City and the focus of its cinematography. With its elements, the movie can honestly influence teenage girls. Yet as much as critics such as Maya Gordon of Psychology of Women Quarterly say how media contributes to the sexual objectification and values women “based on their appearance,” this film should be an exemption.