Anna Gunn

CHICAGO – One of my favorite things about “Breaking Bad,” the best drama on television by quite a critical distance, is the way writers play with time. One episode can take place over a few days while another very important week on the calendar may take up half a season just to get through its intense action.

CHICAGO – In a great year for television, one that saw the premieres of “Game of Thrones” & “Homeland” and amazing seasons for “Louie,” “Community,” “Parks & Recreation,” and much more, one might think that it would be tough for a TV critic to choose the best show of 2011. It was incredibly easy. Nothing topped the fourth season of “Breaking Bad,” one of the best single seasons of television in the last twenty years and now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

CHICAGO – The Emmy-winning AMC series “Breaking Bad” may not be the cultural phenomenon that is the network’s “Mad Men” but it has just as loyal a following and a growing group of fans who are realizing that this drama is easily as good and arguably better. Scary, funny, dramatic, and honestly moving, “Breaking Bad” is remarkable television that pulls off that amazing trick of feeling both genuine and completely original at the same time. The first two seasons are now available on Blu-ray and should not be missed.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – AMC’s “Breaking Bad” is not one of my favorite shows on television but the lead performance by Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston is one of the most riveting I’ve seen in the last few years. He is pitch-perfect and everything that works about this unusual series comes from his great star turn.