Dramas, solid all the way through:

• Mad Men is a fantastic drama focusing on characters working in advertising during the 1960s, and it's from AMC - the same network as Breaking Bad. Don Draper is a pretty iconic character at this point. Cigarette, anyone?

• The Walking Dead is a phenomenal new drama from AMC, and deals with zombies in the most paced and realistic way I've seen since 28 Days Later. Great acting, intriguing plot, and tons of film grade zombie headshots. Mind blowing.

• Carnivàle is my personal favorite show, and although at first glance many mistake it for merely a show about carnies, it actually has one of the most extensive, deep overarching mythologies I've encountered since Lost. Tragically, it wasn't renewed for a 3rd season, and thus the yet untold story from would-be seasons 3-6 remains a mystery. Worth it.

• Six Feet Under is a character show like no fucking other, and changed my life, as I'm sure it did many others' lives. The final episode of the series strikes an emotional chord that'll ring true for what seems like an eternity, and the show's primary focus is on a funeral home-owning family and their daily dealings with the dead. Top notch.

• The Wire is another formidable HBO drama, and arguably the best and truest cop drama in existence. Five seasons focusing on five different aspects of Baltimore city, each as badass as the last. Sheeee-iiiiiiiit.

• The Sopranos I haven't actually finished, but its acclaim speaks volumes for the show, and the 3 seasons I have seen are nothing short of cinema quality mob dramas. Tony Soprano is the balls, even if he does need a shrink to help him cope with the stresses of taking over the "family business." Don't fuggedaboutit.

• Deadwood is home to a man even Tony Soprano wouldn't fuck with - Al Swearengen. Easily one of my top five favorite shows and undoubtedly a top contender for all-time greatest western drama. More whiskey drinking, gun slinging, gambling, and saloon loitering than you can shake a gritty stick at. Extremely intelligent dialogue throughout, too. It's a crime that this show wasn't treated to a 4th season. Absolute gold.

• Oz blew my damn mind. Not only does it feature one of the most uniquely informative and theatrically neat-o narrative devices; it's also the most balls to the wall intense prison drama I've come across. Lots of penis as well, if that's what you're into. Also, J. K. Simmons!

• Band of Brothers makes Saving Private Ryan look like a basket of kittens in comparison. If you're into any sort of war or battlefield dramas, this is an absolute must see, and by extension so is The Pacific. I can't decide which I like better. Awe inspiring.

• Firefly is a brief but legendary science fiction show, with some of the most memorable outer space moments since Star Wars. It's definitely not of the same quality as the aforementioned HBO and AMC productions, but nonetheless enjoyable and appreciable. Possibly the ultimate modern cult sci-fi drama. Damn good.

• Battlestar Galactica is perhaps a more rewarding experience overall than Firefly, but personal mileage with that statement may vary. There's a lot more content to absorb in Battlestar, and its conceptually different than Firefly, the primary conflict being between man and machine on the most grandiose scale possible and under dire circumstances. Mind fuck.

• Boardwalk Empire is taking up the mantle that Deadwood and The Sopranos helmed before it, and notably is created by an integral writer of The Sopranos, Terence Winter. Steve Buscemi dominates the lead role of Atlantic City treasurer Nucky Thompson, who is responsible for enabling black market liquor sales during the prohibition era. Compelling shit.

• Bored to Death is more of a comedy than a drama, but it's a damn fine show nonetheless. Schwartzman is a novelist whose writer's block led him to start moonlighting as a private detective, alongside Galifianakis as a superhero cartoonist with low self-esteem and Ted Danson as an old stoner desperate to remain in youthful action. Bored to Death got a lot stronger with its second season, moving from slow-paced character building episodes to fast-paced, shenanigan-filled stories that bank off the already developed character personas. High LPMs.

EDIT: I saw people recommending shows that (in my opinion) aren't exactly on par with Breaking Bad, so I thought I'd chip in my two cents as to why you might want to avoid certain suggestions. To clarify, I'm not saying these shows are bad; I watch(ed) them regularly, and I've seen much worse. Some of these are even personal favorites.

Dramas, enjoyable yet significantly flawed:

• Dexter started out strongly, likely due to the first season adhering to the book upon which the series was based. Seasons 2 and 3 are still good for the most part, but you can tell the writers were running out of ideas. Season 4 was awesome because it featured John Lithgow as Dexter's nemesis, and the finale seemed to hint at newfound freedom for Dexter to do what he does best. But alas, season 5 deals with Dexter playing babysitter while all the other characters in the show fuck and fight one another. Also, Deb. shudders

• Dollhouse is Joss Whedon's post-Firefly creation, and it's unfortunate that he decided to work with subpar acting talent, because the premise and visual execution of the show are fantastic. To be fair, not all of the acting is bad; the blame wavers back and forth between cheesy writing and unbelievable acting, but the core principles and ideas pushed in Dollhouse make for some truly entertaining episodes, especially the unaired finale, which by itself made the short series worth watching. Pretty decent.

• Hung let me down hard. For a long time I was on a strict HBO regimen, and everything I had watched prior was at least great. Hung is only somewhat all right; it's questionable even by basic cable network standards. It misses the mark on line-delivery time and again thanks to over- or under-acting by a majority of the cast, and there's no consistent feel or rhythm. It tries to be like Six Feet Under in terms of grounded family characters but then almost parodies itself in its approach to pimping. The absurd circumstances characters find themselves in will make you chuckle, but Hung is mostly a flop. Dumb drama.

• Lost is in my top five favorites, but I can't deny that a large portion of the audience was alienated as each season progressed, culminating in a massive let down of a series finale for plenty of die-hard Lost fanatics. I personally love the direction the show took, and think the story and its conclusion are ahead of their time, and way above many viewers' heads. It was a mistake airing such a complex drama on a family-oriented network like ABC. Lost deserved the most mature, freedom-allowing palette for its delivery, but despite not getting that, the show was undeniably a smashing success during its initial run and featured more adult themes than your typical ABC fare. It also set a new standard for future serialized dramas by declaring an end date to the series 3 years before the final episode aired. Incredibly bold.

• Californication is a decent comedy/drama that I personally didn't latch onto. I like Duchovny's slacker, womanizer character and his escapades pulled an occasional laugh from me, but I don't think the show has much substance relative to other dramas - a common flaw in Showtime productions. When it comes to premium networks, HBO understands that stories need to come from a place of solid character development better than most. Californication is an example of Showtime recognizing and attempting to employ that methodology, but overall the show lacks depth and believability for a program that often takes itself so seriously. I didn't find it as "insufferable" as some critics though, and I enjoyed a good handful of episodes. Fun times.