There is a lot of debate between two of the most popular shows of all time. Which one is better, The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad? Two very different yet similar shows at the same time. One may be about a zombie apocalypse and the other is about a teacher cooking illegal drugs, but they are similar through the growth of the characters.

This debate will be broken into five categories: story, action, actors, protagonists and antagonists, and cinematography. The score will be tallied up at the end with some student opinions on which is better.

Spoilers will be kept  at a minimum for those who have not watched of these shows.

Story

This category is kind of a toss up. Both of these shows have amazing stories, but I think that Breaking Bad slightly edges this one out over The Walking Dead. 

Who knew that an extremely overqualified chemistry teacher who makes methamphetamine with one of his students would be a very good story, but it is much more than that. You really see how the main character, Walter White, develops over the course of the show, which is only the span of around two years. 

Not to discredit The Walking Dead, it still has a great story. The apocalyptic world and seeing what the group encounters over the course of the show is amazing. This show has a wider range of what happens, but Breaking Bad has a better over-arching story.

Action

The apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead prevails in this category pretty easily. Breaking Bad definitely has action, but the Walking Dead has much more.

It makes sense that The Walking Dead takes this category since it takes place in a zombie apocalypse. There is so much conflict, whether it is between people versus zombies, or people versus people. There are also (SPOILER ALERT) a lot of deaths of major characters, so that just adds to the action.

Actors 

Andrew Lincoln’s performance as Rick Grimes is amazing in The Walking Dead, but it is hard to go against Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.

Cranston and Paul deliver some of the best acting performances of all time as their parts as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Jesse Pinkman’s speech to Walter White in the episode “One Minute” was one of the best performances of all time. Not to mention Walter White’s iconic speech in the episode “Cornered,” which is known by by many from the single phrase, “I am the one who knocks!”

Protagonists/Antagonists

Breaking Bad and the Walking Dead are neck and neck with their protagonists, but the Walking Dead’s antagonists are much better than Breaking Bad’s, in my opinion.

The Walking Dead has some amazing protagonists, such as, Rick and Michonne Grimes, Glenn and Maggie Rhee, Daryl Dixon, and Carol Pelitier, but the main reason they won this category is because of their antagonists, mainly Negan Smith. Negan is an absolutely terrifying and intimidating villain, shown perfectly in the episode “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be.” and is one of the main reasons to watch the show in the later seasons.           

Breaking Bad’s Gus Fring is an amazing antagonist, but that is the show’s only true antagonist. Other than Negan, the Walking Dead has Shane Walsh, the Governor, the Whisperers, and of course the Walkers. All of these antagonists blow Gus out of the water, therefore, the Walking Dead wins this category.

Cinematography

Breaking Bad is well known for it’s phenomenal cinematography, so it is no surprise that it handles this category. The Walking Dead has great cinematography, but it really does not compare to Breaking Bad’s. 

Breaking Bad has amazing camera work, it’s almost beautiful. The episode “4 Days Out” is a perfect representation of how incredible the camera work is on this show. The scenes of Walter and Jesse cooking are incredibly satisfying. Additionally,the shots of them sitting in front of the sunset is just breathtaking.                                                 

Pentucket’s Opinions

Senior Will Pessina, in favor of Breaking Bad, said “I love the character development in Breaking bad, especially Jesse Pinkman. I love the contrast between him and Walter White.”

Teacher Mr. Bart preferred the Walking Dead because “it connects on a cerebral level with humans surviving, because in that world people have to wake up and survive.”

Sophomore Aidan Blot chose Breaking Bad with his reasoning being that it “is very thrilling and I like how the stakes are raised every episode.” 

Conclusion

These are two of the best shows of all time, so it is no surprise that this is a close match, but with the categories and people’s opinions, Breaking Bad prevails over the Walking Dead. This is based on my opinion, so anyone could disagree with this choice, but I tried to be as unbiased as possible.

In the end it is whatever you prefer. It does not matter if one has a better story or if the other has better actors, all that matters is that you enjoy it.