It's good, but it's nothing exceptional, like Breaking Bad was.
They're very different animals. As I gather distance from the heady thrill of watching
Breaking Bad the first time, several aspects of the show have lost some of their lustre (though certainly not Cranston's titanic performance).
One of the biggest virtues of
Justified and
Breaking Bad are that they're both very consistent. They're also both intelligent, although I'd give the slight edge to
Justified, which is pulpier, but more self-aware and more willing to let its sense of play hang out for all to see. For that matter,
Justified has a much more delicate balance to maintain with respect to tone. Let's call it the "Elmore Leonard sweet spot" between truly hilarious comedy and terrifying violence.
Now,
Breaking Bad could be quite funny too, and there are episodes of that show (particularly Michelle MacLaren episodes like "One Minute" and "To'hajiilee") that were about as suspenseful as anything I've ever seen, TV or otherwise. But the nature of the "single story played out over five-and-half seasons" was bound to lead down avenues of frustration now and then. Revisiting the show in its entirety, this became much more evident to me, with Walt's improbable/impossible escapes seeming increasingly convenient and more glaringly the product of a trapped (if very, very talented) writers room.
(As far as "funny" is concerned, I should also add that I actually laugh when I watch
Justified; I might snicker here and there at the humour in
Breaking Bad.)
And that "single story" problem highlights another advantage that
Justified has -- namely, that it's rife with eccentric and fascinating characters. I won't bother trying to list them all; there are simply too many, which helps the universe maintain its "lived-in" quality.
Breaking Bad is "The Walter White Show" -- and that's fine, but aside from Gus, Mike and Saul, I'm having a hard time remembering anyone who was particularly interesting in and of himself.
Finally,
Justified ended smashingly. The last episode of
Breaking Bad (apart from the wonderful scene in Gretchen and Elliot's home) felt like at least 50% fan service, and a show like that, which had been growing more and more insistent (if not downright hectoring) about Walt's evil nature seemed to lose some of its self respect with its easy ending. Something far more apocalyptic would've better suited everything that came before.
I've only seen
Justified once though, and
Breaking Bad twice, so bear that in mind.
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