Through the years many good shows have Jumped the Shark, particularly in their final season. In a way, it’s almost inevitable for high quality shows, as they either run out of steam or fans build up expectations that the last season could never actually reach (see: LOST).
AMC’s Breaking Bad has been a pretty fantastic show from top to bottom thus far and most viewers would be hard pressed to come up with any Jump the Shark moments as of yet.
But the last season is upon us and with a show as beloved as Breaking Bad, anything and everything they do in the final 8 episodes could come under scrutiny. While we certainly hope the show won’t Jump the Shark, it’s a very real possibility that it could happen.
Here are 10 ways Breaking Bad could Jump the Shark in its final 8 episodes:
10. More Skyler
Skyler White may be the most universally hated character on television. While Skyler was somewhat sympathetic in the first season of Breaking Bad, she slowly grew into a bitter, unlikable tyrant who almost everyone wanted to see killed.
To give you an idea how much fans dislike Skyler, put her name into Google and it’ll recommend things like “Please Kill Skyler White Off Breaking Bad”. While Skyler has found some use in the latter seasons, if the final 8 episodes were to put a major focus on her, it would be a real Jump The Shark moment for many fans.
9. Walter Jr. Takes Over the Family Business
Walt Jr. hasn’t had much of a role in the series, keeping away from most of the sticky situations that his father has created. However, should AMC decide to have Flynn take over the meth business, it could definitely represent a new low.
He’s been a marginally likeable character thus far, but he’s definitely not methamphetamine kingpin material. It would take some fantastic writing to make this work.
8. Saul Goodman is a Wolfman
What if it was casually revealed that Saul is actually a werewolf? Certainly that would make Breaking Bad jump the shark… Or it’s the greatest idea in television history!
7. Raven Symoné Joins The Cast
When Steven Gomez is killed in a meth raid, Raven is added to the cast. She plays Detective Olivia, a hot new DEA agent stationed in Albuquerque. She gives Hank a hard time, but also helps him crack the blue meth case.
She’ll constantly make annoying, err, adorable faces and teaching Hank new ways to see the world.
6. It was all a DREAM
One of the tried and true gimmicks of television finales, the entire Breaking Bad saga will be revealed as a dream. Perhaps Walt never had cancer or maybe he’s dreaming it one day in a chemo session.
Certainly there are a lot of reasons that a dream would work and satisfy certain fans, but dreams have become such a cop out that using them in any capacity would no doubt make Breaking Bad do a nice leap over the ol’ selachimorpha.
5. The Great Gazoo
In the later seasons of the Flintstones, this odd little alien nymph showed up to get Fred and Barney in a lot of trouble. With only Walt and Jesse able to see Gazoo, the calamity will be upped to historic proportions!
Why would the writers even consider such an atrocity? Perhaps because there is no way to satisfy everyone, so why not just go for the absurd and piss off EVERYONE?! That’s the sort of guts that the Breaking Bad writers have taken up to this point, but we’re hopeful they don’t do this one.
4. Jesse Dies
Jesse Pinkman wasn’t ever supposed to make it out of the first season alive, but the writers enjoyed having him around and fans came to love him. While almost everyone expects that Walt might bite the big one, there should be some sort of satisfying ending to at least one of the two main characters.
Jesse has matured so much as a person that it would almost be a punch in the gut if he met his demise in the final season. Especially if Jesse is nonchalantly killed off as the writers had originally planned back in the first season.
3. Gus Fring Returns as Two-Face
Out of ideas and lacking a true foil for Heisenberg, the writers bring back the Los Pollos Hermanos drug lord himself, Gustavo Fring. Even though he only has half a face, he’s twice as dangerous.
Naturally he develops a Two-Face personality and can’t decide between original recipe or extra crispy.
2. Walter Returns Home… To 12334 Maple Boulevard in Millbrook
Rather than do a dream season, the last episode will see Walt return home, only for the house and family inside to be from Bryan Cranston’s once popular sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle!
Lois will greet him with a big “Where have you been?” as Dewey, Malcolm and Reese come in arguing. Walt will then turn to a picture of the sadly departed Francis and briefly mention how he died due to an overdose of crystal meth. Their new adopted son Jesse will enter as the credits roll.
1. AMC Crossover with Small Town Security
It seems inevitable that Walter will be caught and possibly killed, but what if AMC tried to use Breaking Bad’s finale to put a little promotion in their new “reality” show Small Town Security?
Irwin and Joan could show up and catch Walter, before taking him back to the station for hijinx and hilarity. Anyone who watched last season may remember that AMC would constantly run ads for this show during the crime drama. Small Town Security even had it’s premiere after an episode of Breaking Bad!
What better way for AMC to capitalize on the hype of one show, than to do a crossover with another? It would also represent the worst type of jump the shark moment, possibly of all time.
Purveyor of pop culture, toy enthusiast and award winning amateur scientist, Newton Gimmick founded and currently runs InfiniteHollywood.com. One of many web writers not afraid to profess his love of 80s cartoons, toys, pseudo sports and Jell-O. What makes Newton unique from the others? He does it all from the comfort of his custom Denver: The Last Dinosaur Snuggie.
Wolfman Saul!!!
Man, Skyler is such an awful person. Why is she complaining about having a husband who constantly puts her family on the course of danger by tying them to the drug cartels? He brings in money, so she clearly shouldn’t complain about anything. Why bother Walt with things like “safety” and “the general moral implications of producing crystal meth”? He’s providing for the family, so why question it in any way whatsoever? She’s such a tyrant, not like the possessive egotistical Walt, who could have left a long time ago but mainly decides to stay because he can’t abandon the position of top dog amongst the drug cartels.
In all seriousness, Walt is an amazing complex character, but most of what Skyler has done over the past few seasons has been valid given that, ya know, her husband turned into an ego centric monster who constantly brings her family close to danger.
True. She may not be a popular character in the show, but she has a real purpose. Because of Skyler, I know Walt is a bad guy. If not for her I would watch the show and root for Walt blindly. Skyler gives the perspective of the real world and makes the character depth of Walt greater by showing him as a villain. I still root for him, but I know he is actually the anti-hero now, so if the show does end with his death it will be more accepted by the fans.
All I can say when it comes to hated and pointless female leads is Andrea from the walking dead. That character was just awful!
I hope (and am confident) none of these things happen and the show ends as strong as it began! Cant wait!
Saw this on Reddit. Very funny list.
I can’t believe y’all twice danced around the most obvious one without actually hitting it: combine #s 6 and 2, Newhart Series Finale style (still generally considered one of the best series finales to date, definitely the best ever in a sitcom)!
As Walter White dies and the camera zooms in on his face and the life fades from his eyes, fade to black, then fade in on the Wilkerson* master bedroom with Hal and Lois in bed. Hal wakes up in a cold sweat and says what a strange dream he’d just had, of being a high school chemistry teacher who gets cancer and becomes a crystal meth kingpin.
______________________
* It was only shown once in the pilot (on Francis’s military school nametag), and included in a scripted joke scene in another episode that was cut, but yes, the Malcolm in the Middle family surname is indeed “Wilkerson.”
I think it was said somewhere in the post that we’d avoid the Malcolm in the Middle meme since everyone on the internet had already seen it comes across their Twitter and Facebook timelines a million times by that point. Would have been funny though, surprised someone like Fallon or Kimmel never got the actors together and filmed something like that. Thanks for the comment!
(Ooops — previous post had typoed Email addr.)