Breaking Bad

Walter White is a chemistry teacher in Albuquerque whose cancer diagnosis prompts a desperate plan to provide for his family. He recruits former pupil Jesse Pinkman to help him make methamphetamine. Scientific ability turns out to be only one of the qualifications the job requires.

Created by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad ran for five seasons. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul make Walter and Jesse's partnership funny, difficult and absorbing, while Anna Gunn gives Walter's home life proper weight as Skyler.

I recently rewatched the series and still consider it one of the best shows ever made. The smaller decisions reward attention just as much as the major set pieces. El Camino is excellent too, but should be saved until after the television series.

Read my full Breaking Bad review. Better Call Saul is the natural companion, while The Sopranos offers another great crime drama about the stories a man tells himself.