Stephen King Reveals His Favorite 21st-Century Series

Stephen King has always been vocal about his thoughts on television. Over the years, the renowned author has taken to social media to recommend shows he feels deserve recognition, often highlighting series that leave a lasting impact on him. While his list of favorites is extensive, there is one show he believes stands out above the rest in 21st-century television.

That series is ‘Breaking Bad’, the acclaimed crime drama created by Vince Gilligan. Although King has endorsed various shows, including Shawn Ryan’s ‘The Shield’, which he once described as a series that “changed everything,” he feels ‘Breaking Bad’ achieved a different level of excellence.

King’s passion for television aligns with his own writing style. His novels often feature expansive narratives filled with intricate characters, slow-building suspense, and richly developed worlds. Modern television provides writers the chance to unfold stories over extended periods, allowing character development that films often cannot achieve.

The author has consistently shown a preference for strong storytelling and memorable characters over mere action or spectacle. His favorite shows typically center on individuals facing tough decisions and grappling with the consequences, which is precisely what made ‘Breaking Bad’ resonate with him.

In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, King was asked to select the greatest television series of the preceding decade and a half. At a time when shows like ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘The Sopranos’, and ‘The Wire’ were being hailed as some of the best television ever produced, King did not hesitate with his choice.

“Breaking Bad,” he stated. “I knew it was great from the first scene, you see him wearing jockey shorts. I thought it was amazingly brave since they look so geeky.”

For King, the series’ opening moments immediately indicated that ‘Breaking Bad’ was willing to take risks. The sight of Walter White standing in the desert clad only in his underwear was bizarre, uncomfortable, and entirely unexpected. Yet, that was precisely what captured his attention.

This scene introduced viewers to a seemingly ordinary and vulnerable man, not the menacing figure he would later become. Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Walter White transformed the character from a struggling chemistry teacher into one of television’s most unforgettable antiheroes.

‘Breaking Bad’ went on to become one of the most acclaimed shows in television history, winning numerous awards and amassing a vast global audience during its five-season run. The series chronicled Walter White’s descent into the world of drugs and crime, weaving a narrative filled with tension, tragedy, and moral dilemmas.

Many fans and critics have hailed ‘Breaking Bad’ as one of the greatest shows ever made, and Stephen King’s reaction indicates he recognized its brilliance from the very start. While some viewers took time to grasp the direction of the story, King was convinced the series had something exceptional right away.

For the bestselling author known for crafting some of fiction’s most chilling tales, it only took one unusual desert scene and a man in his underwear to understand that ‘Breaking Bad’ was destined to be extraordinary.

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