Stephen King Names His Favorite 21st-Century Series

Stephen King has never been shy about sharing his opinions on television. Over the years, the famous author has used social media to recommend shows he believes deserve attention, often praising series that leave a strong impression on him. His list of favorites is long, but there is one show he believes stands above the rest when it comes to 21st-century television.

That series is Breaking Bad, the crime drama created by Vince Gilligan. While King has supported many different shows, including Shawn Ryan’s The Shield, which he once described as a series that “changed everything,” he believes Breaking Bad reached a different level.

King’s love for television makes sense when looking at his own writing style. His novels are often large stories filled with complex characters, slow-building tension, and detailed worlds. Modern television has given writers the same opportunity to develop stories over many hours, allowing characters to grow in ways that movies often cannot.

The author has always seemed more interested in strong storytelling and memorable characters than simple action or big moments. His favorite shows usually focus on people making difficult choices and dealing with the consequences, which is exactly what made Breaking Bad stand out to him.

In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, King was asked to choose the greatest television series of the previous decade and a half. At a time when shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Wire were already being discussed as some of the best television ever made, King did not hesitate with his answer.

“Breaking Bad,” he said. “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 opening moments of the series immediately showed that Breaking Bad was willing to do something different. The image of Walter White standing in the desert wearing only his underwear was strange, uncomfortable, and completely unexpected. But that was exactly what caught his attention.

The scene introduced viewers to a man who looked ordinary and vulnerable, not like the dangerous figure he would eventually become. Bryan Cranston’s performance as 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 celebrated shows in television history, winning numerous awards and gaining a massive worldwide audience during its five-season run. The series followed Walter White’s transformation as he entered the world of drugs and crime, creating a story filled with tension, tragedy, and moral questions.

Many fans and critics have called Breaking Bad one of the greatest shows ever made, and Stephen King’s reaction shows that he recognized its potential from the very beginning. While some viewers needed time to see where the story was going, King believed the series had something special right away.

For the bestselling author known for creating some of fiction’s most terrifying stories, it only took one unusual desert scene and a man in his underwear to realize that Breaking Bad was going to be something extraordinary.

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