2. Supporting characters
This is by far one of the few shows in TV history, if not the sole owner of this complement, that has exceeded any expectations with regards to the quality of the supporting cast of characters. Even in this photo above, it's clearly missing some of the series outstanding examples of supporting characters such as Gustavo Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito, and Gomez, played by Steven Michael Quezada. More importantly, I've never seen a series find a way to replace good characters that have bit the dust in previous seasons. For example, I was a little concerned once Gustavo Fring went bye bye after season four, that the show would finally start showing kinks in the armor for not having an extra antagonist amidst Walt's antics, and yet it hasn't missed a beat. It continues to evolve even in the face of major changes. That my friends is the product of great writing and great actors who have cycled through the show to serve a real purpose. I get the feeling that characters like Mike, Saul, and Hank could have very interesting backstories that could work in the realm of another show, if done right. We got a taste of this with Fring's prequel story within season four. When has there ever been, on this planet mind you, a TV series that can create such a plethora of interesting supporting characters with such larger than life personalities?
I mean hell, even Mark Margolis's Tico Salamanca character needs honorable mention. After all, who can make ringing a bell so comical yet terrifying at the same time? Or the short lived character of Gale Boetticher, played so effectively by David Costabile, bringing added charm and personality to the series in season three. (even if his character had one brutal demise) Performances like his can make or break a show being elevated to elite status, and I could on and on and on about these types of stand out characters in a show that's littered with them. In my humble opinion, once people look back on this show in 20 years they will without a doubt be reminded at how important the supporting cast of Breaking Bad was in making it into a true classic, with an almost feature-film like quality to each episode. And now it's time to take a look at arguably the top reason this series has become a piece of TV history that fans will dread disappearing from TV in the near future...