'Breaking Bad' and Character-Driven TV

Personality-based television is all the rage these days, and for good reason. The kind of high-concept, high-execution shows that make the airwaves in the new cable order are often just a little too unrealistic to float. The blanket solution of more than a few programs has been to hire a solid anchor in the form of an excellent lead actor—preferably one who’s had some face time on HBO. Did Michael C. Hall creep you out more than a little on “Six Feet Under”? He’ll do that role one better as the titular serial killer on “Dexter.” Loved Mary-Louise Parker’s nervy energy in “Angels in America”? Wait until you see her in the pressure cooker that is “Weeds”!

The latest in this cavalcade of premise-heavy, actor’s-delight series is AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” the story of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who turns to cooking crystal meth after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. “Breaking Bad” is quite literally “Weeds” on crack. As if the cancer plot isn’t enough, White also has a pregnant wife, a son with cerebral palsy, and a DEA-agent brother-in-law. Not even “Weeds” managed to get to those storylines until its second season.

Naturally, a premise this loopy calls for a stronger-than-average lead actor, and “Breaking Bad” has a great one in Bryan Cranston. Best known as Hal, the splenetic dad on “Malcolm in the Middle,” Cranston is a master of the slow-burning freak-out. Watching Cranston’s eyes well up with rage just before he inevitably snapped was one of “Malcolm’s” few reliable pleasures. With “Breaking Bad’s” premise, there should be plenty of those mad moments, right?

Unfortunately, wrong. While Cranston gets a few interludes of maniacal glee, most of “Breaking Bad” is about pouting, not shouting. In order for this premise to work, we have to believe that this mild-mannered chemistry teacher is crazy enough to think that becoming a meth-maker is the best way to finance those oncology bills. Cranston has the latent manic energy to make us believe that, but creator Vince Gilligan seems set on not letting that energy show. Cranston does an admirable job of playing the part with as much restraint as possible, but anyone who’s seen what he can do aches for those moments of unabashed crazy that make him so special.

For a show that seems to have picked up Cranston in order to make its unbelievable ideas a little more believable, “Breaking Bad” has a dangerous confidence in the power of its writing. The show immediately followed its pilot with a two-parter in which Walter and his partner in crime, foolish young dealer Jesse (Aaron Paul), had to dispose of a pair of thugs who threatened their business. By “dispose of,” I mean “kill them and then disintegrate the bodies with strong acid.” And this is just the second episode. It’s hard to have any room to get to know these characters when they’re murdering people left and right. While the premise did facilitate some nice touches of Cranston crazy, I was much more fond of last Sunday’s episode, which filled in some of the character background the show so desperately needed.

This is not to say that “Breaking Bad” is without any charms. The unique setting of Albuquerque, New Mexico adds regional flavor to the show. I’m also inordinately fond of Walter’s cerebral-palsy afflicted son, Walter, Jr., who’s played without a hint of maudlin sentiment by the excellent RJ Mitte. Anna Gunn does the best she can with the role of Walter’s meddling wife Skyler, but her part needs to be toned down a touch if the character is to be at all sympathetic. In general, this is probably “Breaking Bad’s” biggest hurdle: its characters are simultaneously subtle in their behavior and irrational in their actions, and the mix feels a little off-balance. The show needs to decide whether it wants to establish a tone of realism or surrealism, and work from there.

Personally, I vote surrealism. It’s obvious that the creators of “Breaking Bad” are trying to avoid striking the same tone as “Weeds,” but the plotlines need to be as flip as those of “Weeds” for the show to have a little bit of color. A little more comedy would also help with all the bodies this show has been piling up.

Considering its status as one of the new breed of actor-driven shows, “Breaking Bad” shouldn’t hesitate to rely on Bryan Cranston’s charisma. I’m confident enough in Cranston’s talent as an actor to believe that this show can go to some pretty crazy places without totally losing its connection to reality. If the writers are willing to loosen up the plot a little and let Cranston do the work for them, ”Breaking Bad” could have real staying power. And if not, I’m sure it won’t be long before we see Cranston headlining another show. Are you paying attention, HBO?

—Columnist Allie T. Pape can be reached at pape@fas.harvard.edu.