WithBreaking Bad, Vince Gilligan managed to turn the seemingly bizarre premise of a chemistry teacher cooking meth to pay for his cancer treatments into what isregarded by many to be the greatest TV series ever made. Few TV dramas, when all is said and done, feel like a complete piece. ButBreaking Bad’s five seasons hold up as the saga of Walter White, charting his fabled transformation from Mr. Chips into Scarface, told in its entirety like a televised novel.
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There was never an episode ofBreaking Badthat disappointed – although season 3’s “Fly” wascertainly divisive among the fan base– but some installments have much higher ratings on IMDb than others.
Updated on Jun 24, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:Nearly everyone has heard of Breaking Bad by this point. The series enjoyed critical praise across the board for the first four seasons before absolutely exploding in popularity courtesy of the fifth season becoming viral in every sense of the world. The story of Walt and Jesse as they form a drug empire of their own before the former really buys into his Heisenberg persona makes for a great watch. We’ve updated this list to include some more of thehighest-rated Breaking Bad episodes.
This list contains spoilers!
20Crazy Handful Of Nothin' (9.3)
There’s a reason why this episode ranks so high despite being in the first season, which is widely considered to be slow by the majority of the fanbase. It marksWalter’s first step into his role as Heisenbergand depicts how the life of crime gives him a rush he hasn’t felt in a while.
Walt also shaves off his hair in the show for the first time, getting the iconic look that has become synonymous with the series. It marks a turning point in the show and how Walt and Jesse’s life would change for good after their association with Tuco.
19Phoenix (9.3)
The duo of Jesse and Jane ispretty iconic inBreaking Bad, even if the latter was only present for a single season. The impact she had on Jesse’s life was huge, with Pinkman’s downward spiral being kickstarted after the events of this episode.
The final scene is one of the most powerful scenes ever shot inBreaking Bad, with Walt letting Jane die after she chokes on her own vomit while on heroin. It’s a horrible act, that Walt acknowledges but powers through — something that happens multiple times over the course ofBreaking Badfollowing this pivotal moment.
18Grilled (9.3)
Tuco Salamanca is one of the best characters inBreaking Bad, and his death is just as memorable. Both Skyler and Hank are distraught in their search for Walter, who was kidnapped along with Jesse by this maniac.
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This leads to a dramatic series of events where Tuco gets wounded by the escaping duo, only to be caught in a firefight with Hank who managed to locate his missing brother-in-law. After an intense faceoff, Tuco is eventually fatally wounded and breathes his last.
17Sunset (9.3)
It’s hard to imagine that an episode mainly centered around scrapping an RV would be so compelling, but that is precisely the case in Sunset. In the wake of Walt and Jesse’s professional breakup, both partners set about doing illegal activities their own way.
When Jesse inadvertently leads Hank to Walter when the latter is trying to total the RV, a clever phone call leads to Hank believing that his wife has been involved in a near-fatal car accident. This sets up a horrible series of events where Hank gets super angry at Jesse, leading to him beating the latter to a pulp in the next episode.
16Blood Money (9.4)
Blood Money is the first episode that kickstarts the second half ofBreaking Bad’s final season. It’s a brilliant episode that shows how Hank deals with the revelation of Walt being Heisenberg.
Blood Money wastes no time in setting up the events for the finale, with the episode being an absolute joy to witness. Watching Hank and Walt face off in a battle for the ages never ceases to be entertaining.
15Half Measures (9.5)
Breaking Badhas several great moments across its five seasons. One such instance comes at the very end of the episode Half Measures, with Walt running over two drug dealers whom Jesse was planning to kill in a fit of rage.
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This moment arrives after the fallout of Combo’s death, with Jesse losing it after his girlfriend’s brother — the man who killed Combo in the first place — also meets his end. It’s an amazing episode where all the buildup from past episodes pays off in a truly dramatic manner.
14End Times (9.5)
End Times is an episode that comes at a time when Walter is finally going to get rid of Gus. This happens in tandem with the ricin poisoning of Brock, which leaves Jesse distraught and angry in his hunt for revenge.
The episode is brilliant and marks the beginning of the end for the amazing character of Gus Fring. It’s a brilliant episode with a ton of tense moments throughout the board.
13Say My Name (9.5)
Jesse and Mike want to get out of the meth business after Todd murdered a little kid, but Walt’s ego won’t let him give it up when he’s at the top of his game, so he desperately tries to convince them to stick around.
In the episode’s shocking final moments, Walt impulsively shoots Mike. Then, he realizes that he could’ve let him live and apologizes to Mike, who simply says, “Shut the f*** up and let me die in peace.”
12One Minute (9.6)
Hank’s character is one of the most engaging parts ofBreaking Bad, and watching him lose his cool and beat Jesse into a pulp is quite uncomfortable to witness. It’s a side of the man that most viewers had only seen glimpses of.
It’s a brilliant episode where Jesse’s character falls further into despair, while Hank has to deal with the consequences of his rash actions. It’s another golden chapter in this amazing series that just keeps on giving.
11Salud (9.6)
Gustavo Fring might be a vile character at times, but Salud is where this man shines his brightest. After witnessing his tragic backstory, fans wanted this man to get the revenge he deserved.
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After years, he finally exacted his revenge on the cartel that killed his lover andestablished himself as the biggest kingpin around. It’s a brilliant episode that shows just how far ahead Gus had thought when it came to his revenge.
