Why shows like Breaking Bad are a Good Thing

            Recently in class we have had discussions on the show Breaking Bad.  In our class discussions Professor Leeper has expressed concern over what watching a show that revolves around drugs and violence will do to a person.

            Shows today are turning towards the darker side of life and giving us protagonists known as anti-heroes.  In these shows the protagonist is the criminal and the antagonist is the police force, a police force that is just doing it’s job and protecting innocent people.

            We’ve seen things like this before in movies and video games but up until recently this wasn’t seen in TV shows.  Here is where I think shows of this genre differ from movies, in a show you have time to fully develop a character.  In a TV show you have 0ver 90 hours of time to develop a character whereas in a movie you have 3 at the most.  The thing I think this does is it allows you to understand the criminal, if the show is done properly.  Understanding is a very good thing.  The reason we seem to have become desensitized to these types of shows is not because we are becoming Ok with crime, it is because we are understanding what drives a criminal to commit crimes.  A true understanding of a criminal mind would help us turn criminals from crime and prevent those we know from becoming criminals.  What shows like Breaking Bad offer is not a glamorization of criminals but an understanding, and understanding is one of the greatest things in the world.