The art of crafting what I’ve come to call “anxiety TV” is an aptly taxing challenge.
Shows where the central protagonist spends most of their time concealing illicit activity — or simply looking guilty — are often classified as thrillers, but series like “The Flight Attendant,” “Ozark,” and yes, “Breaking Bad” aren’t your typical murder-mysteries where good guys hunt bad guys.
They’re stressful, often agonizingly so, because they’re built from many, many scenes where the people we’re asked to care about make increasingly risky choices, construct increasingly elaborate lies, and inch ever closer to being exposed.
If they’re caught, it often means they’re lives are either ruined or over, which only compounds the viewer’s anxiety on their behalf.Despite the three progressively excellent examples listed above, these kind of stories aren’t easy to do well — especially on TV.
Without a steady stream of
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