1. Bryan Cranston
Do a search for some early previews and reviews of the show and tell me what you find? You'll see some great expectations coming from veteran actor for sure, but there was a lot of weariness concerning his ability to carry this show. Most people saw him as the dad from Malcolm In The Middle, and couldn't get over that. There were a lot of reviews that felt that he was just out of place, and made the series fall flat. Jump back to the present, where nobody has a bad word to say about it. He DID carry a series, and a damn good one at that. Breaking Bad is a cultural phenomenon, and a television juggernaut. Just wait until his next role. I can hear it now, "You mean Walter White? He's got a new show? Sweet!" This show changed him, and I don't think another actor could have done it. He's got that comedic sensibility to him that a more "serious" actor just wouldn't possess. Just take a moment to think about the show without him. His range made the series what it was, and the season finale showed us that with all of the little things that I had mentioned before. It showed us flashbacks, returning to the roots of the series. Walt's journey ended the moment we got to say goodbye to Skylar. After that, it was all Walt taking a walk down memory lane for last time. Personally I don't know if Gilligan did that for us, or to give Cranston the chance remember how it all started (they even gave him his hair back). I can unarguably say that for most of us, Bryan Cranston is the reason we got attached to this show in the first place, investing our time into watching this series (Over 62+ hours!). With the season finale, every line, every delivery, it all hung on his performance. It may have been stale had anybody else taken the part, instead we get the series ending that we deserved. So thank you to Bryan Cranston for letting us hang out with you for five seasons. I have a feeling it's going to be a while before we see a character like Walter White on television again. Goodbye, Breaking Bad...
