Fans Fuming as Lisa Kidrow's Unlikely Sitcom Climbs Over Breaking Bad in 100 Best TV Performances
This show is not bad, it's just not better than Breaking Bad.
Recently Variety published the top 100 greatest TV performances of the century. The editors limited the list to shows that began after January 1, 2000. In addition, it was decided to include only one role from each series – so that the list would include as many projects as possible.
The top five was opened by Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in Breaking Bad. Lisa Kudrow was ranked fourth for her comedy show The Comeback. Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and Succession star Jeremy Strong rounded out the top three.
The top spot went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, known for her role in Seinfeld. However, the actress was recognized for her role in the comedy series Veep, which aired on HBO in the 2010s.
Viewers Are Stunned by the Top 5 on the List
If you look at this list and don't understand the logic you're not the only one.
The list has generated a lot of discussion and criticism from viewers, most of whom don't understand how Bryan Cranston only made it to number five, and how one of the greatest TV performances of all time was beaten out by a little-known sitcom starring Lisa Kudrow (who we all love).
Reddit user ElPiscoSour pointed out:
“Bryan Cranston [...] below Lisa Kudrow and Elisabeth Moss is highly questionable at best. No disrespect to the actresses, they're amazing, but their roles are not nearly as iconic or memorable as what Cranston [...] achieved.”
And it's hard to disagree.
Bryan Cranston's Walter White Is Considered One of the Best TV Performances Ever
Walter White is Bryan Cranston's most iconic role, an instantly recognizable image of a man with a goatee and a black hat that can still be found in various corners of pop culture years later.
Over the course of five seasons, Cranston perfectly portrays how a terminal diagnosis frees a typical man from the daily worries and restrictions of normal society, and how power and money corrupt the average man, releasing the darkness that resides in his soul.
His role in Breaking Bad has earned him numerous awards, including several Emmy statuettes, and made him one of the most outstanding actors of our time.
What Is The Comeback About?
The Comeback is a meta-sitcom, a comedy within a comedy that is sometimes funny and sometimes incredibly sad.
In the series, Lisa Kudrow plays Valerie Cherish, a star of an 80's sitcom who is trying to get back into show business by starring in her own reality show and a new television series. However, most of the young actors she now works with have no respect for her past fame.
The Comeback Is a Worthy but Not Revolutionary Series
The Comeback is a worthy series largely because of the boldness of its lead actress. Most people know Lisa Kudrow for her role as the hippie and weird Phoebe on Friends. But the actress wasn't afraid to go against her signature image and choose a completely different role – a useless sitcom star with dull jokes.
However, no matter how brilliant the actress' performance was, the show itself did not revolutionize television – the same cannot be said for Bryan Cranston's Walter White and Breaking Bad.