If you loved Breaking Bad—the wild ride of Walter White's meth empire, you'll binge these shows just as hard. From drug lords to desperate parents, and pro tip: when you're done with these, check out Better Call Saul—the Breaking Bad prequel that's just as good (maybe even better, but don't tell Heisenberg I said that) and not to forget El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which in my opinion the best sequel to be made ever.
Ozark – "Breaking Bad, But with Money Laundering"
Jason Bateman plays Marty Byrde, an accountant who moves his family to the Ozarks to launder cash for a cartel. I was hooked from episode one, it's Breaking Bad with less meth, more math, and just as many dead bodies. What makes it special is watching a "normal" family sink deeper into the criminal underworld. Fun fact: Bateman didn't just star in this dark masterpiece, he directed several episodes too, proving he's way more than just the funny guy from Arrested Development.
Watch on Netflix
Narcos – "The Real-Life Heisenberg"
If you thought Walt's power trips were intense, wait until you see Pablo Escobar's story, and it's even crazier because it actually happened. This show chronicles the rise and fall of cocaine's king while DEA agents chase him and rivals plot his downfall. I couldn't stop watching as his empire became unstoppable, making Walter White look like a small-time dealer. The craziest part? Wagner Moura, who plays Escobar, didn't even speak Spanish before filming, he learned it just for the role!
Watch on Netflix
Snowfall – "Crack, Cash, and Chaos in the '80s"
Franklin Saint starts as a smart kid selling a little crack in 1980s LA and ends up running an empire, sound familiar? Like Jesse Pinkman, he gets in way over his head, but the stakes here feel even more real. I love how this show doesn't shy away from showing the CIA's alleged role in America's crack epidemic (yes, that's based on actual events). The period details are perfect, and you'll find yourself rooting for Franklin even as he makes increasingly terrible decisions.
Watch on Hulu
The Wire – "The Smartest Crime Show Ever"
This isn't just a show about Baltimore cops chasing drug dealers, it's about how everyone's trapped in a broken system. Unlike Breaking Bad with its clear protagonist, The Wire gives you a full ecosystem of complex characters just trying to survive. What blew my mind was learning that real-life police officers and former drug dealers helped write the show, which explains why it feels so authentic. If you loved the depth of Breaking Bad, this will give you five seasons of even deeper storytelling.
Banshee – "A Criminal Pretending to Be a Sheriff"
An ex-con steals a dead sheriff's identity and takes over a town filled with killers and crooks, what could go wrong? Everything, beautifully. This show delivers the most brutal fights I've seen on TV (actors actually got injured filming them!) and a hero who's just as morally compromised as Walter White. If you enjoyed watching Walt transform into Heisenberg, you'll love watching this fake sheriff balance his criminal instincts with occasional actual justice.
ZeroZeroZero – "One Drug Shipment, Three Nightmares"
This show follows a single cocaine shipment from Mexico to Italy and all the bloodshed it causes along the way. Think of it as Breaking Bad on a global scale, more ruthless, more epic, and somehow even more tense. I was fascinated learning that the title refers to the purest grade of flour, a clever nod to top-quality cocaine, just like Heisenberg's famous blue meth. The cinematography here is stunning, and watching three different criminal worlds collide is addictive television.
Watch on Amazon Prime
Weeds – "Breaking Bad… But with Weed"
Before Walter White, there was Nancy Botwin, a suburban mom selling pot to keep her family afloat after her husband's death. What begins as small-time dealing spirals into cartel connections and increasingly bad decisions. The dark humor plus terrible parenting gives major Walter White vibes, but with more yoga moms. Here's a crazy fact: Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan was actually accused of copying Weeds, even though he swears he'd never seen it when he created his show!
Watch on Amazon Prime
Painkiller – "The Legal Drug Lords"
If you hated the greedy suits in Breaking Bad, this show about how Big Pharma created the opioid crisis will make your blood boil. Based on real court cases (some executives actually went to jail!), it shows how legal drug empires can be just as destructive as Walter White's meth operation, maybe worse. What makes this so compelling is seeing how people in suits caused more addiction than any street dealer ever could, all while hiding behind corporate logos.
Watch on Netflix
Narcos: Mexico – "The Birth of a Cartel Empire"
This spin-off tells the true story of how Mexico's drug war began and the man who built the first cartel empire. If you're fascinated by the business side of Breaking Bad, you'll be obsessed with watching this kingpin create an entire criminal infrastructure from scratch. The cat-and-mouse game between traffickers and law enforcement is just as intense as Hank chasing Heisenberg. What makes it even more authentic? Real-Life DEA agents helped the creators of the show to make the show more accurate and authentic.
Watch on Netflix
The Sopranos – "The OG Walter White"
Before there was Walter White, there was Tony Soprano, a mob boss going to therapy while running a crime family. Sound familiar? This show pioneered the "sympathetic villain protagonist" that made Breaking Bad possible (Vince Gilligan has openly admitted this). I love how both shows make you question why you're rooting for horrible people doing terrible things. The psychological depth here is unmatched, and you'll see Walter White's DNA in every scene of Tony's suburban criminal life. This is the show that changed television forever and paved the way for Breaking Bad to exist.