How to fill the void left by Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is over, leaving a void in the lives of fans across the world. Now, whether or not you’re a fan of the show, there’s no denying the cult following Breaking Bad has generated — with Twitter and Facebook going berserk during the airing of the final and after it.

For the past few days, it’s seemed as though people have nothing to talk about but Breaking Bad, especially because it had a brilliant finale. Many said it was as good as that of The Sopranos, which was recently voted the best-written American tv show of all time. It’s been a difficult year for television watchers, with both Dexter and Breaking Bad coming to an end. Consequently, there are discussions, like this one on Quora, about what could replace the emptiness created because serial killing and crystal meth have bade a fond farewell to TVs. Here are a few suggestions:

CURRENTLY RUNNING

House of Cards: It won David Fincher an Emmy this year for the Best Director and stars the brilliant Kevin Spacey. House of Cards the story of a Congress whip and how he gets what he wants as he makes his way, by any means possible, up the political ladder. Also stars Robin Wright as Spacey’s wife and Kate Mara as a political journalist. Uniquely, Spacey speaks into the camera, explaining his strategies to the viewer directly and breaking the fourth wall. It adds so much to his character.

More from Entertainment

'Send Help' Movie Review: Sam Raimi is back with a genre-bending survival thriller that presents a brand new Rachel McAdams Sameen Wankhede vs Netflix's 'Ba**ds of Bollywood': Delhi High Courst dismisses defamation suit against Aryan Khan show

Season two of House of Cards is in production.

Game of Thrones: Based on George RR Martin’s epic series, Game of Thrones has a little bit of everything — drama, fantasy, politics, murders (lot of murders) and some gratuitous sex and gore for good measure. You’ll find yourself first confused and then torn between the Lannisters, Starks, Freys, Greyjoys and Targaryens as they battle for the Iron Throne of Westeros. Be prepared to fall in love with a lot of characters and see them die. The best part about Game of Thrones is that Martin hasn’t finished writing the series of books, which means the show isn’t likely to end any time soon. The fourth season will be out in March-April 2014, so you have the next few months to catch up. It airs in India on HBO.

Sherlock: Retaining most of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes’s eccentricity, portrayed brilliantly by the world’s sexiest man Benedict Cumberbatch — who is partnered by Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson — this show is addictive. Riffing off Doyle’s stories, this modern Holmes solves riddles using modern-age technology (he has in iPhone) and good ‘ole smarts. There are just three episodes in each of its two seasons, but they’re satisfying. Season three is expected in 2014.

Homeland: Who do you believe — a brilliant CIA agent who is bipolar? Or an ex-US Marine who collaborated with a terrorist to kill the people of his country? Homeland touches upon the sensitive issue of prisoners of war being turned by terrorist outfits. But will Sergeant Nicholas Brody carry out the Al-Qaeda’s orders? Or will his love for his country and his family get in the way? Homeland won the Emmy for the Most Outstanding Drama Series last year. The third season of Homeland is currently being aired in India at 10 PM on Monday nights on Star World Premier.

The Newsroom: A political drama exploring the inner workings of a television newsroom, this one has a solid following among journalists and was one of the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series. Principally written by Oscar and Emmy-award winning writer Aaron Sorkin, The Newsroom follows television host Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) and his team as they make their way through corporate tangles and their individual personal affairs. It’s not anything like any newsroom we’ve seen and a number of the way some of the journalists handle crises is positively infuriating, but if you ignore those details, it’s eminently watchable. It airs in India on HBO, with episodes two-weeks after their US premiere.

Suits: Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) lands a job at a law firm and he’s getting to work with Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) who is known as New York City’s best “closer” for his compelling legal arguments. The only catch is that Ross doesn’t have a law degree. He’s brilliant, but he’s also a college dropout. Much of Suits is about how Harvey and Mike keep the latter’s lack of qualifications a secret while solving their cases and the firm’s internal squabbles. The third season is currently underway. Suits airs in India on Comedy Central.

Other popular ongoing series: Boardwalk Empire, White Collar, Orange Is The New Black and Sons Of Anarchy.

CONCLUDED SERIES:

The Wire: Often touted as one of the best series ever made, The Wire is all about catching drug lords with patience and the most subtle of wire-taps. It also portrays the politics in the police force brilliantly.

Dexter: After eight seasons of serial killing and ridding the world of evil people, Dexter Morgan hung up his knives this year. But how can you not want to rewatch the show about a serial killer who also belongs to the Miami police?

The Sopranos: The Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano juggled the different aspects of his life as a mobster and a family man with such with and style. It’s always worth a re-watch.

24: Eight seasons of Keifer Sutherland kicking-ass while disobeying every order he ever received. If you like real-time action and mystery, this one’s for you. The 24 episodes are in real time, which means the one-hour episode shows you the events that take place in a single hour. This one’s fast and not for the faint-hearted.

Did we miss your favourites? Let us know in the comments section.