Breaking Bad: The Complete Series [DVD] – All 5 Seasons of the Award-Winning Crime Drama

Breaking Bad was the iconic series about a high-school chemistry teacher named Walter White (played wonderfully by Bryan Cranston) who finds out he has terminal cancer and decides to start manufacturing meth with a former student named Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) so he can make enough money to set up his family for life. Throughout the course of the series, Walter transforms from a guy who is in over his head to a horrible character with almost no redeeming qualities who uses everyone around him. The series also stars Anna Gunn as Walter's wife, Skyler, Dean Norris as Walter's brother-in-law Hank, who is also a DEA agent who ends up looking for the mysterious new meth dealer, Betsy Brandt, as Walter's sister-in-law Marie, RJ Mitte as Walter Jr. Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo "Gus" Fring, a local drug kingpin with a cover as a business owner, Bob Odenkirk as the criminal lawyer, Saul Goodman, and Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, an enforcer for Gus and private investigator for Saul. The last three also appear on the great spin-off series Better Call Saul.

Where the set really shines is with the extras. There are hours of extras for each season including behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks on select episodes, episodes of "Inside Breaking Bad" the post-show wrap-up that aired after many of the episodes, music videos, gag reels, photo albums, deleted and extended scenes, character profiles, a hilarious alternate ending to the series, and more. So, if you love the show and you love watching the bonus material, there is a ton here for you.

The series is widely regarded as one of the best shows of the 2010s. It was wonderfully written and very well acted, by everyone in the main cast and the guest cast. Cranston did a great job of transitioning Walter from a wimp to a monster over the course of the series, and Aaron Paul did a wonderful job playing Jessee as a guy who got in too deep with Walter and portraying Jesse's love-hate feelings toward Walter whom he saw as a father figure, yet knew only cared about himself and money. The series really boils down to the power of greed, and how it corrupts. Even though it has been off the air for nearly a decade, the show holds up very well and is definitely worth the investment. It had a lot fewer shows than many shows that stay on the air for five seasons get (just 62 total episodes), but it told a great story and if you are a fan of crime dramas, it is a must-watch.

A truly amazing series! Arguably the greatest drama series ever made.
Breaking Bad portrays the evolution of a character named Walter White. Walt begins the series as a mild mannered chemist teaching science, but becomes, over time, a ruthless criminal mastermind known to the DEA as "Heisenberg" (the name of one of Walt's favorite physicists, and the name Walt chooses to go by for all of his nefarious activities).
At each crossroads he reaches in his life, we see Walt take one more step across one more moral line he's previously drawn in the sand, one more moral barrier he's never before crossed, until, one day, there are no more lines, no more barriers left for him to cross. He has become a man completely devoid of any remaining moral limitations.
With each new degree of power he achieves in the world of drug trafficking, we see Walt become more and more intoxicated by it, wanting ever more, never satisfied that it is finally enough.
From humble beginnings as a powerless nobody pushed around by the forces of life, he comes to love finally being one of the ones who gets to do all the pushing.
At first, he enters onto the path of darkness (manufacturing what he, at first, believes will be only a one time run of highly profitable methamphetamine) with seemingly noble and sympathetic intentions (if such a thing is possible concerning the manufacture of drugs), doing it for the family he loves, so that they'll not be left penniless under the weight of his crushing medical expenses. But, in time, Walt makes more than enough to pay for a dozen lifetime's worth of medical bills, yet continues on in his endeavor (at first grudgingly, without being given any free choice in the matter, but later voluntarily and even enthusiastically) having by then completely lost sight of why he started and who he's supposedly doing it all for.
This incredible series is populated with some of the most deeply drawn characters we've ever seen portrayed in film or on television, and with some of the most memorable and frightening villains to threaten and challenge them along the multi-season story arc of this series.
Breaking Bad is the best written, best acted dramatic TV series that I have ever seen, and Bryan Cranston and the rest of the cast, the writers and the crew unquestioningly deserve all of the Emmy awards they've received for their work in this unforgettable show.
Be warned, though, this series is not for the faint of heart! It pulls no punches and isn't worried about leaving your nerves frazzled and worn down to the raw nubs. Once things get moving (and that takes awhile--as much as I love this show, it really did take some time to win me over), it will present viewers with some of the most pulse-pounding and intense moments ever shown on television. I often found myself literally out of breath from the tension at the end of many of the more riveting episodes. Think of the most intense moments of "The Sopranos", put them on massive steroids, and you might have some idea of what I'm getting at. There are moments in this series that rival the shock value of the "Red Wedding" in "Game of Thrones"--a number of such moments, in fact.
And, unlike "The Sopranos", "Breaking Bad" ends with a final episode that will not disappoint even the most hard to please viewers!
If you have the nerves for a series of such powerful intensity, Breaking Bad will be an unforgettable viewing experience, a television journey unlike any other that you've ever taken.
Like the television equivalent of a powerful drug, once you become addicted to this superlative, one of a kind television series, you won't be satiated. You'll have no choice but to watch it all the way through to it's unforgettable conclusion. Then, believe it or not, you'll actually want to watch it again!
To put it succinctly, Breaking Bad is as good as television gets!

This review is for the product that has ASIN: B00P5D8H20. If you are anything like me you may have researched Breaking Bad "the complete series" offerings here at Amazon and found the various listings hard to understand. I mean after all you can sort by Blu-Ray, DVD, 15 Disks, 19 Disks, bla-bla-bla. I have already watched this series twice and my goal was to find a product that contained the most "Bonus" material because I wanted to watch the commentaries and extra stuff. Figuring something that had "19" disks must be the way to go I found one for $104 with free Prime shipping and placed it in my cart. Unfortunately when I went to checkout (even though the product clearly stated prime) they wanted to charge me almost $10 for 2-day shipping. So the search continued. I ultimately found the product I have listed and lucky for me it was even $4 cheaper and it DID include the Prime shipping. The only heartburn I had in ordering is that the first product specifically listed 19 disks where this one did not specify. I basically had to resort to comparing the pictures and take my chances. When it arrive it contained:

Season 1: 2 Blu-ray Disks
Season 2: 3 Blu-ray Disks
Season 3: 3 Blu-ray Disks
Season 4: 3 Blu-ray Disks
Season 5: 2 Blu-ray Disks
Final Season: 2 Blu-ray Disks
Bonus Blu-ray Disk: "No Half Measures"
Bonus Gift DVD set (3 DVD's): The Complete 1st Season and Bonus material

So all told I actually did receive 19 "disks" and have to believe this would be everything including all bonus material.

Also, other than the above "craziness" regarding differing products that "look" the same, Amazon cofuses the isse even more by combining reviews for products that have different product numbers. So you can be reading a review for a product that doesn't even pertain to what you are looking to buy. This is ridiculous in my opinion but that is a gripe against Amazon not this product.

Lastly be advised ... The product I received was the UK version and from my research is Region Free. While this may sound nice (and no the characters do not speak in a British accent) the Ultraviolet (UV) code that is in the box WILL NOT WORK straight away. I contacted UV who sent my ticket to Sony and Sony had me create an account on their system. Once I did that they added the content to my account. They told me they did this only because the Title was also a US release. Your mileage may vary but the folks at Sony Pictures were kind and helpful and I was specifically thrilled to receive real customer support and not "canned" responses from some foreign country. I can't stress enough how pleasurable it was dealing with them and they took less than 8 hours to resolve this entire mess.

In closing while this review doesn't really pertain to the content there are plenty out there that do. If you are looking for "everything" I believe this is the product you want. I have watched only 2 episodes (Season 4) and a little bit of Bonus material so far and the Disk it was on played fine. There have been several reviews which complained of bad disks but so far so good from my end. If that changes I will certainly update this review.

I finally got the entire series on DVD. I feel like a teenager all over again. The box it comes in is great looking. The content is as promised and all the language you did not hear on tv, you will certainly hear it in this set. You have over 50 hours of bonus footage, interviews, bloopers, gag reels, the actors talking and discussing the show and working with each, and deleted scenes. I already owned every episode here on Amazon video on Demand. But there is nothing like watching it and having it all in one box set. I don't understand why all shows don't do this. For example, NYPD Blue is one of the best police dramas ever on television. It was ground breaking, and completely changed what type of material would be allowed on air and how far they could push the envelope. But They only have 8 seasons out, and no box set. And this show should have had it out ages ago. Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows I have ever seen. I actually did not ever see an episode until it was off the air. I listened to Howard Stern when some of the cast appeared and then I ordered the seasons on Demand.

This box set is PERFECT if you are fan. If you have not seen this yet, I would suggest watching the first three episodes. From that point on, it just gets better and better. And you think it cant get any funnier, any more serious, any more dramatic, and then with each episode you just cant wait to watch and get to the next one. The great thing for me was, since I had never seen it, when I started watching it, I could watch the entire series straight through. This show is one of the most unique shows you will ever encounter and I believe it is the first of it's kind, and can never be duplicated in any way. It is so much more then a chemistry teacher who finds his way into making Meth and selling it. It is about what would make a good man, a family man, a loving man, just break bad. It is about family, love, commitment, the affects of ones choices has on the people around you and just how deep those affects go. There is so much to this show, It would take me a book to write to give you a perfect idea on how perfect this series is. And to have it all in one box set, nice and neat, and with all the material they give you that you have never seen before is fantastic. You can not go wrong with this box set. Read about it, and just do it. I cant believe it is as cheap as it is considering how great this show is. You will be more then entertained, and when you watch the last episode, you will be so sad the series is over. I absolutely recommend this product for anyone who loves shows that are dramas, but have everything else you can think of in it as well. Just a perfect Balance.

Just finished up the entire series...and I loved every second of it. No spoilers. But the show has high entertainment, and replay, value. I spent $119 on this (Amazon Deal of the Day), and I feel it was money well spent. At the current price of $136, it's still a good value.

The picture quality was amazing, but it should be noted: from Season 4 on, the discs would sometimes refuse to load or take a long time loading. This has never happened with my BluRay player before, or with anything else since. Maybe every 1 out of 4 times loading, the disc would go THOK-A-THOCK-A-THOCK in the player & do nothing. Maybe that silly warning about using a current BluRay player comes into effect here? Anyway. Course of action: I ejected the disc (which took 45 seconds) and simply had it take the disc in again. Fixed it every time, and playback from that point on was flawless.

The quality of the barrel & subsequent packing is simply fantastic. It is not only functional, but also a work of art. It's hard to describe the clear disks of plastic that are pictured surrounding the barrel, but here goes: They're multiple disks that hold the BluRays in each season. They all have bits & pieces of artwork on there that form a random, and yet meaningful, image from that season. Sometimes it's a theme; sometimes it's a side note. But it's really cool & it shows how much thought & care they put into the packaging. All the plastic discs that house the BluRays are held together by three small magnets on the edges...you know, I'm just going to have to upload a few pictures later. It's very, very well done.

Especially with "special edition", "collector's edition" complete series sets, the quality tends to be....lackluster. For example, look at Dexter. The wooden box set is the higher rated of the two, but people constantly comment that it looks & feels "cheap", that when it arrived discs were all scattered around & out of order. And don't even get me started on the mannequin bust; that one was rated even worse, and with good reason. But as poorly as those are constructed, this one stands out in stark contrast. Whoever designed this appealing, functional, and solid packaging deserves a big, fat raise.

If I must post criticisms, I'll post two: One, I could see the plastic hinges on the side opening of the barrel as a potential weak point. However, they did the best with the medium they were working with, and if I remember correctly the barrel was all nice & taped shut for shipping. It was packed so very well. Just keep it away from kids, who will inevitably destroy it. Two, those anti-piracy ads....seriously. I paid $119 to have advertised to my face, (every time you boot it up & go into a new episode) "This material is copyright protected by feduhral lawz, sooper seerious. Big, big fines, and we'll put you in JAIL. Don't steal this or we'll punish you." I don't care about your protection laws, and neither do thieves. They edit that cute little warning out when they steal. The only people being punished are paying customers who have their time wasted looking at warnings that don't apply to them! Knock. It. Off.

Again, no spoilers, but the ending was prodigal. It very tastefully brought the series to an end, in a way that I'm sure satisfied most Breaking Bad fans. It's so wonderful to see such a talented crew treat their work with respect, end it with dignity, and exit the stage before they are asked, begged, to leave. The alternate ending, while funny, would have been a copout & I'm glad it was just that. An alternate.

In summary, great series, very well done in both production & packing, no real complaints besides nitpicking...pictures of the barrel & its contents to come later. Seriously. With so many Breaking Bad fanatics I am shocked no one has done it sooner.