Breaking Bad isn’t merely “one of the greatest shows in television history.” There are many greats—deserving of reverence, no doubt. But then there’s Breaking Bad: alone, at the summit. Not just above television, but towering over all cinematic and theatrical creations ever produced. It sets a bar so impossibly high that creators often aim just beneath it—knowing full well it must remain the unattainable model of performance and production perfection, the light at the end of an endless tunnel. Everest has many majestic faces, but only one summit. And Breaking Bad stands there, alone.