Stuck for something to watch this month? Fear not! Here at Pi we’ve done our homework and found you one of the hottest new shows Stateside – so you don’t have to.
Though admittedly a bit niche and maybe too arty for some, Vince Gil- lighan’s Breaking Bad has all the ingre- dients that make it our top tip to be America’s answer to Downton Abbey! The show, set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, follows the (mis)adventures of dad-of-one and chemistry boffin Walter White, who teams up with mischievous ex-student Jesse Pinkman to manufac- ture the illegal drug crystal meth. Don’t worry though, guys, Walter isn’t a baddy – he just wants to fund treatment for a debilitating and inoperable cancer of the lungs…PHEW! What makes this zany duo’s madcap schemes all the more gripping is the fact that Walter keeps his naughty money-maker secret from his wife Skyler, son Walter Jr (yes…Gillighan has a vivid imagination!) and his bum- bling brother-in-law Hank…who’s only a flippin’ policeman!
OK, so far, so good, but why would you stay in and watch telly instead of pull- ing hot girls at Loop?! Good point guys! Well, the eagle-eyed amongst you will spot that Malcolm in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston, who played the adorably au- tistic patriarch Hal, plays Walter! Whilst not a sequel as such, you’ll soon find the tone, subject matter and general hijinks on show in Breaking Bad mean this may as well be that 8th series you’ve waited so bloody long for!!!
Pi’s top tip is to buy a box-set from the Fopp! in Gower Street Waterstones, but if you can’t get there, why not ask a computer whizz-kid to hook you up with high-tech website Net Flicks? This is a comedy not to be missed!
Originally published in Pi Magazine, October 2013.