Breaking Bad finale: why the series became must-see TV

After five seasons, the dark and addictive TV series Breaking Bad comes to an end this weekend.

Bryan Cranston's acclaimed turn as chemistry teacher-turned-villainous meth-maker Walter White has earned the veteran actor a trio of consecutive best-actor Emmys as well as a place among American television's recent pantheon of compelling antiheroes, joining the late James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano, Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan and Jon Hamm's Don Draper.

"Walter White is a Shakespearean tragic character," TV screenwriter and producer Denis McGrath told CBC News.

"It is absolutely out of the playbook and I think that's what makes [the show] have such resonance."

In the attached video, Eli Glasner explores why Breaking Bad became must-watch television.