With Better Call Saul in its final countdown, we thought we’d revisit how to watch the original trek into the story of Walter White and the dark side of Albuquerque with Breaking Bad. If you haven’t seen it (or have been under a rock since 2008), the series follows White (Bryan Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who receives a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. Already struggling to make ends meet, with a son with special needs and another baby on the way, White is desperate to find a way to provide for his family in the event of his death and mounting medical bills.
Desperate to find a solution, he stumbles into the world of crystal meth and realizes his chemical background could make him a fortune, and he converts an old RV into a mobile drug lab. From there, things get more chaotic and dangerous as White and his new partner, former student and drug dealer Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), set out to corner the meth market and are soon face to face with a much bigger drug world than they anticipated.
Read on for more about Breaking Bad and where to watch all five seasons of the hit series.
Watching Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are two of the few originally AMC-produced shows that are not available through AMC+. But have no fear, the complete Breaking Bad series is currently streaming on Netflix, along with the first five seasons of Better Call Saul and the Breaking Bad sequel film, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, starring Aaron Paul.
You can watch all of them by subscribing to Netflix via one of the following plan options:
Also, check out our review of Netflix for more information on the service.
How to Stream Breaking Bad
You can subscribe to any of the plans above and watch Breaking Bad on Netflix through the Netflix Website with your web browser. You can also sign up and watch Netflix by downloading the Netflix App to any of the following supported devices:
If you don’t have any of the devices above and are watching on your browser, you can connect your laptop to the TV to watch Netflix.
About Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad ran for five seasons and was a smash hit for AMC. It was a critical favorite, had a massive fan following, and was a pop-culture juggernaut, spawning memes, theme parties, Halloween costumes, and much more. It still holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and won dozens of awards, including multiple Best Actor and Supporting Actor Emmys for Cranston and Paul and Best Drama Emmy twice.
Breaking Bad also stars Anna Gunn as White’s wife, Skylar, who struggles to make sense of what he’s up to; R.J. Mitte as their son Walter White, Jr.; Betsy Brandt as Skylar’s sister, Marie; and Dean Norris as her DEA agent husband Hank Schrader, who is unnervingly on the trail of the new meth blend that is hitting the streets. In addition, the show introduced fans to the character of Saul Goldman (Bob Odenkirk), the sleazy lawyer who helps White from behind the scenes, and eventually received his own spin-off prequel series, Better Call Saul.
Throughout the series, the characters grow and change, walking a darker and darker path into the underworld. It soon becomes about survival and success for Walter White and forever challenging his moral code. A true anti-hero, the audience frequently questions his choices and motives, but, honestly, you just can’t stop watching him. Constantly hovering in the background is the threat of capture from the DEA, and much more serious threats from other drug rings. Season 2 introduced Gustavo “Gus” Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), the owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, a fast-food chicken chain that is the front for Chilean drug distribution. Gus ends up White’s nemesis (and sometimes partner) throughout the series.
Overall, the show is an addictive binge if you’re into dark themes, questionable moral decisions, and a complex anti-hero. And just really good storytelling.
