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Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul Seasons and Movie Ranked by Tomatometer

We’re ranking everything Breaking Bad! The sun-torched epic was created by Vince Gilligan and starred Bryan Cranston as teacher-turned-crime lord Walter White, and Aaron Paul as his young accomplice Jesse Pinkman. Critics and audiences alike were immediately hooked to Breaking Bad‘s gruesomely comic and tragic premise, razor-sharp writing, and the enormous emotional character arcs. As the height of anti-hero television first pioneered with The Sopranos, every season of Breaking Bad‘s 2008-2013 run is Certified Fresh.

Ditto to everything else in the Breaking Bad empire, which includes the sequel movie El Camino (2019), and prequel show Better Call Saul. Starring Bob Odenkirk as lawyer Saul Goodman, his character was a brisk rush of fresh air whenever he appeared in Breaking Bad. Expanding a popular character into their own show always runs the risk of giving too much of a good thing to audiences, yet Better Call Saul, by the end of its 6-season in 2022, rivals or even tops its predecessor.

Now, we’re ranking every season and movie of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul by Tomatometer. —Alex Vo

#1
Adjusted Score: 102864%
Critics Consensus: Breaking Bad's well-toned storytelling flares up this season with dramatic story changes and calculated direction.
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#2
Adjusted Score: 101817%
Critics Consensus: Breaking Bad's fourth season continues to evolve and subvert expectations, and it's never been more riveting to watch.
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Adjusted Score: 103689%
Critics Consensus: Grounded by Bob Odenkirk's endlessly nuanced, lived-in performance, Better Call Saul's fifth season is a darkly funny, vividly realized master class in tragedy.
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Adjusted Score: 103257%
Critics Consensus: Better Call Saul remains as masterfully in control as Jimmy McGill keeps insisting he is in this final season, where years of simmering storytelling come to a scintillating boil.
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Adjusted Score: 100967%
Critics Consensus: Well-crafted and compelling as ever, Better Call Saul's fourth season deftly balances the show it was and the one it will inevitably become.
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Adjusted Score: 99680%
Critics Consensus: Better Call Saul shows no signs of slipping in season 3, as the introduction of more familiar faces causes the inevitable transformation of its lead to pick up exciting speed.
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#7
Adjusted Score: 103521%
Critics Consensus: Breaking Bad's final season cements its status as one of television's great series, propelling its narrative to an explosive conclusion with sharp direction and assured storytelling.
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Adjusted Score: 99631%
Critics Consensus: Better Call Saul is a quirky, dark character study that manages to stand on its own without being overshadowed by the series that spawned it.
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#9
Adjusted Score: 100027%
Critics Consensus: Breaking Bad continues to soar, thanks to its artsy style and suspenseful thrills.
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Adjusted Score: 97984%
Critics Consensus: Better Call Saul continues to tighten its hold on viewers with a batch of episodes that inject a surge of dramatic energy while showcasing the charms of its talented lead.
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#11
Adjusted Score: 98445%
Critics Consensus: Entertaining if not essential, El Camino adds a satisfying belated coda to the Breaking Bad story -- led by a career-best performance from Aaron Paul.
Synopsis: Jesse Pinkman flees from the police and tries to escape his inner turmoil.... [More]
Directed By: Vince Gilligan

#12
Adjusted Score: 90833%
Critics Consensus: Though at times it feels forced and its imagery can be gruesome, Breaking Bad is darkly gripping and features a strong sympathetic lead in Bryan Cranston.
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