This crime epic about a mild chemistry teacher tops critic and fan lists for tense character arcs that redefined prestige television.
Breaking Bad vs The Sopranos: ratings compared
Breaking Bad and The Sopranos are the two shows most often named in “greatest TV drama” arguments, and our blended score separates them by a single point: 93 to 92. The breakdown is more interesting than the headline. Breaking Bad leads on Rotten Tomatoes critics, the audience score and IMDb, while The Sopranos clearly wins with Metacritic’s critics. The Sopranos (HBO, 1999–2007, 86 episodes) came first and is widely credited with starting the prestige-drama era; Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008–2013, 62 episodes) is shorter and more tightly plotted.
Head-to-head in 21 words
Breaking Bad wins audiences and Rotten Tomatoes by a whisker, while Metacritic prefers The Sopranos, the show that started it all.
The numbers
Breaking Bad scores 93 and The Sopranos 92 on our blend. Across the sources both shows have, Breaking Bad leads on Rotten Tomatoes critics, Rotten Tomatoes audience, IMDb (×10) and TMDB (×10); The Sopranos leads on Metacritic.
| Breaking Bad | The Sopranos | |
|---|---|---|
| 21words score (1–100) | 93 | 92 |
| Rotten Tomatoes critics | 96 | 92 |
| Rotten Tomatoes audience | 97 | 96 |
| Metacritic | 87 | 94 |
| IMDb (×10) | 95 | 92 |
| TMDB (×10) | 90 | 87 |
| Rank in our Series Top 21 | 1st of 21 | joint 2nd of 21 |
| Last checked | 2 November 2026 | 2 November 2026 |
Both, in exactly 21 words
This mob-therapy classic still anchors critics' best-of lists for character psychology that permanently remade American prestige drama and everything that followed.
What this comparison does not tell you
Blended scores average different audiences: critics, verified-ticket and general audience scores, and enthusiast sites. A one- or two-point gap between all-time greats is noise; the per-source breakdown below is more telling than the headline number.
Source notes as recorded on our Series list: Breaking Bad: Blend 93 — RT 96 / Aud 97 / MC 87 / IMDb 95 / TMDB 90 (5/5) — public aggregates, 28 Sep 2026. The Sopranos: Blend 92 — RT 92 / Aud 96 / MC 94 / IMDb 92 / TMDB 87 (5/5) — public aggregates, 28 Sep 2026.
Questions
Which scores higher, Breaking Bad or The Sopranos?
Breaking Bad scores 93 and The Sopranos 92 on our blend. Across the sources both shows have, Breaking Bad leads on Rotten Tomatoes critics, Rotten Tomatoes audience, IMDb (×10) and TMDB (×10); The Sopranos leads on Metacritic. In our Series Top 21, Breaking Bad is 1st of 21 and The Sopranos joint 2nd of 21.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each 21words series score is an equal-weight blend of Rotten Tomatoes critics and audience, Metacritic, IMDb ×10 and Letterboxd ×20 (TMDB ×10 when Letterboxd coverage is thin), with at least three sources. Both were last checked on 2 November 2026, and we re-check every Monday.