Apple TV+’s Your Friends & Neighbors Is Not The Next Breaking Bad
Even though a returning Apple TV+ show comes off as the perfect Ozark replacement, it is thankfully not striving to be the next Breaking Bad. This is relieving in more ways than one because many crime dramas have tried to go down the Breaking Bad route and failed. By promising to drift away from Walter White’s anti-hero narrative, the Apple TV+ series hopes to bring something new to the table.
Over a decade after its release, Breaking Bad remains one of the most compelling additions to the neo-Western crime drama genre. Owing to its incredibly high rewatch value and brilliant performances, it set an almost impossible standard for other shows of the genre. Netflix’s Ozark, however, arguably came close to being equally compelling.
Apple TV+ has a new addition to the crime thriller genre, which seems reminiscent of both Ozark and Breaking Bad in more ways than one. The show has also been renewed for season 2, making it hard not to wonder if its parallels with the two shows will continue. One BTS revelation, however, confirms that the original Apple TV+ show will be less like Breaking Bad going forward.
Your Friends & Neighbors Will Avoid “Going Down The Walter White Road”
Similar to Ozark and Breaking Bad, Your Friends & Neighbors‘ season 1 focuses on the moral descent of a man who initially gets embroiled in the criminal world to be able to provide for his family. However, before he realizes it, he ends up embracing a life of crime because it gives him a sense of control he hasn’t experienced in a long time.
Fortunately, though, even though Your Friends & Neighbors‘ main character, Andrew Cooper, seems similar to Walter White in more ways than one, the show’s creator has confirmed (via Variety) that they will not be “going down the Walter White road” in season 2. He explained that Cooper’s journey, unlike Walter’s, is not going to be about building a criminal empire.
Instead, it will be more about measuring his risk-to-reward ratio and calculating what his exit strategy is going to be. This approach makes sense because audiences are already familiar with Walter White’s journey. If Your Friends & Neighbors tried to emulate Breaking Bad‘s formula, it would risk being too predictable and derivative.
By keeping Andrew Cooper’s motives uncertain and highlighting how his criminal endeavors are driven more by a sense of thrill rather than a desire for more power, Your Friends & Neighbors is delivering a more refreshing take on the crime thriller genre. At the same time, this storytelling approach also allows the Apple TV+ show to retain its comical elements instead of becoming too dark and serious.
The Apple TV+ Crime Drama’s Update Potentially Makes It Even More Similar To Netflix’s Ozark
Interestingly, even though Your Friends & Neighbors is potentially drifting away from its Breaking Bad similarities, it is becoming more and more like Netflix’s Ozark. Just like Ozark, Your Friends & Neighbors ensures that an entire family is central to its narrative. Towards the end of season 1, it also hints that its female lead, Mel, will get involved with her husband, Andrew, in his criminal endeavors.
Even though Apple TV+’s Your Friends & Neighbors shares its title with a Neil LaBute 1998 film, it has no connection to the movie.
Even the showrunner, Jonathan Tropper, confirmed that the Apple TV+ show will delve deeper into Mel’s darker tendencies, making it hard not to wonder if her arc will be similar to Wendy’s from Ozark. Regardless of whether Your Friends & Neighbors ends up becoming like Breaking Bad or Ozark, it is a promising addition to the crime drama genre and seemingly has a great future ahead.
Alik Sakharov, Andrew Bernstein, Amanda Marsalis, Benjamin Semanoff, Daniel Sackheim, Ellen Kuras, Phil Abraham, Robin Wright, Cherien Dabis, Laura Linney
Writers
Ning Zhou, Alyson Feltes, David Manson, Whit Anderson
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