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Too many cooks spoil the broth, but sometimes even villains need to make way for heroes. Sometimes, the former just needs a primetime slot and a good storyline. Vince Gilligan, the mastermind behind the iconic television seriesBreaking BadandBetter Call Saul, certainly thinks so. In 2018, he shared his two cents, suggesting it’s high time we swapped out our penchant for morally gray antiheroes for some good ol’ traditional heroes.
Well, we’ve all enjoyed rooting for the bewildering likes of Walter White and Tony Soprano—but isn’t it about time we cheered for characters who remind us of the virtues of righteousness? While the audience has been glued to complex characters navigating labyrinths of moral ambiguity, perhaps it’s time we rolled out the red carpet for the knights in shining armor.
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Once upon a time in the 2000s, TV screens were overrun with antiheroes—think Tony Soprano, Don Draper, and Walter White. These characters, as morally ambiguous, took viewers on exhilarating rides through their complex lives.
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But according toVince Gilligan, the creator ofBreaking Bad, it might be time to turn the page.“Maybe it’s time for heroes again,” he mused (viaVariety), suggesting that the current political climate might just be calling for a return to the classic hero archetype.
In a 2018 discussion, he looked back fondly at the days of TV’s simpler moral dichotomies. He recalled:
I watched a lot of TV growing up, a lot of ’50s and ’60s re-runs. Back then, the order of the day was you had folks wearing white hats and you had folks wearing black hats. There were good guys and bad guys.
However, he acknowledged that real life is a bit messier, with people existing in various shades of gray. Gilligan added:
With Walter White, and loving ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Shield,’ maybe now we’ve got so many of them that maybe it’s time for heroes again.
Gilligan is not suggesting a return to the flat, one-dimensional heroes of old. Instead, he’s envisioning characters who, while imperfect, strive hard to do the right thing:
I don’t know if we can ever go back to characters who are all good or all bad, but maybe around the corner are more characters who are flawed and yet work very hard to do the right thing and want to be good, even when they’re not.
So, while you might’ve been hoping for another spin-off in theBreaking Baduniverse, it looks like the pendulum might be swinging back toward the lighter side of storytelling. After all, even in the world of TV, sometimes the bad guys need to step aside to make room for the good.
TV’s Changing Tastes Reflect Growing Viewer Awareness & Societal Shifts?
Former HBO Entertainment President Carolyn Strauss agreed with Vince Gilligan’s perspective, noting how viewers’ awareness and tastes have evolved over the past decade.
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She told Variety:
I think people are a lot more conscious now in a way of things that they weren’t before. And at the same time, the world has evolved, but it has also regressed.
Tim Matheson, known for his roles in shows likeThe West WingandThe Good Fight, echoed a similar sentiment. While he acknowledged the appeal of escapist TV, he also valued content that tackles real issues:
When I first heard about ‘The West Wing,’ I thought: ‘That’s a yawn. Oh, God, guys talking politics.’ But ‘The West Wing’ was the first time politics really got involved in shows and people really talked about topical things.
During her tenure at HBO, Strauss championed shows likeSex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Wire,andThe Sopranos,all known for their complex characters and moral ambiguities. She explained:
What we looked for at HBO was complex characters and then people, showrunners, who could take them on their journeys. The truth is that none of us are all good or all bad.
In the ever-shifting landscape of TV, it seems that sometimes, even the bad guys need to step aside to let the good guys shine. Here’s hoping for a hero’s resurgence on the small screen!
Breaking Badis currently streaming on Netflix.
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3310
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
