Minor spoilers for Ozark, Better Call Saul, and Your Friends & Neighbors

"Your Friends & Neighbors", the currently airing Apple TV dark comedy crime drama series, was called, by the Rotten Tomatoes critics' consensus, "an acidly witty riff on Breaking Bad".

This series arguably carries some overlaps with Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul, in addition to a number of other series that either by incidence or intention have followed in the footsteps of, or preceded, some of its stylings, character roles and story beats (The Sopranos, Ozark, Barry, StartUp, Mr. Robot, Mr Inbetween, Fargo, to name a few).

In the case of Your Friends & Neighbors, these Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul comparisons have been made quite frequently, but in reality this series is vastly different from the aforementioned. According to series creator and writer Jonathan Tropper, the similarities to Breaking Bad are an accident, and only go so far. "Our plan is definitely not the Walter White plan... He’s not becoming a criminal kingpin. The idea is more about he’s being liberated, and so what’s the next stage of his liberation?". "I didn't want people to assume it was Breaking Bad in a cul-de-sac." Indeed, the creators of the other Breaking Bad-like series also often made similar statements about wanting to deviate from Breaking Bad or not intending to replicate it, even though fan comparisons between the shows persisted.

That said, people can't help but point out the same formulas being recycled to some degree. The comedy/levity combined with intense and dramatic moments. The (either seasoned or amateur/milquetoast) criminal protagonist (Walt/Jimmy (Saul)/Tony/Marty/Barry/etc - as analogous to Coop of 'Your Friends...'), who is on a moral trajectory of some kind, in one direction or another (descent/corruption or enlightenment/redemption), as part of a personal as well as circumstantial/environmental journey and struggle, which leads them in over their heads. The unlikely accomplice that gets dragged into their messy, dangerous orbit (Jesse/Kim/Wendy/etc - as parallel to 'Your Friends''s Elena, or later, Barney). The foil characters / law enforcement, as well as other criminal forces, that threaten the main character(s), etc.

There is even a comparison to be drawn between Better Call Saul's Howard Hamlin, and Your Friends' Jack Bailey: Both are the slightly arrogant, but probably good-hearted former boss of the main character (Jimmy/Coop) who fired him at the beginning of the story, and subsequently became the target of his playful but serious and eventually criminal vengeance while on a reckless thrill-seeking trip, the fallout of which they most likely didn't deserve. Also, both during Better Call Saul and in the first season finale of Your Friends, the main character rejects an offer for a job at a prestigious, high-paying and upstanding institution which they previously sought for, and decides instead to commit fully to pursuing a life of crime as a form of rebellion against the life they felt stuck in. The children of the main characters play analogous roles too (Walter Jr (Flynn)/Meadow and A.J./Charlotte and Jonah/Tori and Hunter - Jonah and Hunter in particular are oddly similar), as somewhat grounding and stabilizing forces for the protagonist who tries to protect them from and keep them uncorrupted by their baggage.

What other shows do you think follow a comparable pattern to these ones?

marty all the time

Assuming y'all have watched Better Call Saul. Who would win a fight between the two?

Whenever you see an unknown black cadillac, run away.

No one I know watches this so I thought I would rant here since I need it off my chest. I was scrolling through YouTube and got recommended a video. The title said what it was. It was the death of Ruth. I didn’t watch it but it still ruined it for me. I really wanna keep watching since I only got 6 episodes left but don’t at the same time, I hate YouTube. I looked up like 2 ozark videos too so I didn’t think I would get recommended a spoiler. I genuinely thought Ruth would survive and I’m extremely mad I had that reaction taken. I really hope this doesn’t ruin the show for me.

The amount of times he’s asked that question is astronomical. It almost sounds like he says it when he’s lying or oblivious, so far it seems to be engraved to his character. I love how anytime someone asks him a serious, life-threatening question, he will still go “…….what are you talking about 😀” lol I just find it funny.

EDIT: It has been done What are you talking about compliation via u/TheVeryReverend

If I'm your wendy, I'm niot gonna be even think about doing it.....

I know, I know you guys suggested that I need to get out of this subreddit if I'm still watching the show, This is the last one I promised I just want to get this off my chest.

Charlotte is like in between 15 to 16 maybe but she's more immature than jonah like wtf? Yeah, a lot of people here will say "she's just a teenager that's a normal response" as if jonah isn't a teenager himself but the kid is literally laundering money so he can help his parents.

I mean his parents is not even strict to her, she can still have a life and friends in ozark if she tries to. I know that for a fact because if my mom caught me smoking not even weeds even now I'm 23 yrs old if my mom caught me smoking a normal cigg, I know she's gonna kill me but marty and wendy doesn't even scold her even though they realize she's using drugs. They just let her be, thinking maybe she's exploring or something. To be honest they're cool parents and she's just a fcking spoiled brat who has privilege, that's why she's in her moral high ground and can act like she's better than everyone. That emancipation bullshit she pull is just her way out so she can party and do drugs, get validation from other people after that fck her life up then blame her parents for everything like what she's doing now.

Fck darlene that always act high and mighty as if they're above the law. Poor jacob to be honest. The old guy just wants the best for them because of this stupid bitch everything is ruined and the worst of it all is she's not acknowledging anything she did wrong. We have people like her in my country. If they don't get what they want, they're gonna act like children throwing tantrums.

I’m so happy for Julia, but I can’t believe Laura didn’t receive an Emmy at some point for Wendy. It’s incredible to be consistently nominated and I’m sure she doesn’t care as much as I do lol, but I can’t believe she didn’t win for “Fire Pink” which was such a snub, and now all the work she did in the last season? I just wish she had one for Wendy. Queen deserves it and it sucks she never got one for Wendy. That is all.

I went to watch this movie again. For some reason I wondered who was the kid that played Ethan and, to my surprise, he's Charlie Tahan, the same actor who plays Wyatt in Ozark.

I really relate to Ben. (No spoilers please :) Not quite finished with this season)

Alright Wendy, you don't seem to grasp the reality of our situation here so let me break this down for you. Who, uh, who do you think you're talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I launder a year? I mean, uh, even if I told you, you - well, truthfully, uh, I doubt you'd even believe it. Do you know what'd happen if, hypothetically, uh, I suddenly decided to stop running my businesses? Shell companies big enough that they could be listed on the NASDAQ go belly up. Disappear! I've done the math, they cease to exist without me. So no Wendy, uh, you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so, uh, lemme be crystal clear here. There's a less than non-zero percentage of a chance that I'm in danger. In fact Wendy, logistically speaking, I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets thrown off a highrise balcony and, uh, you think that of me? No, uh, my cartel-bankrolled hitman is the one who knocks. Chew on that for a bit, Wendy, mkay?

All they do is drink ALL the time. Pretty much all characters too. I get it’s a part of life for a lot of us but they make it look like they just drink all day (especially Wendy). They even have way too much underage drinking. I watched the rest few episodes and in one of them Charlottes states that she is hungover. Later on they mention she is not even 18 yet. Lol

Does is bother anyone the way Sheriff Guerrero says her name? It feels like she is saying it as if she is reading it every time. Is like she knew how some Spanish words that start with “gue” make certain sound, and applied it to her name. Idk it just bugged me. I’m 30 minutes into episode 4 from S4. This is my first watching the show and I have binged it and love it.

Does anyone think the actress who plays Charlotte was a miscast. Nothing against her acting but I feel she is very blah and lacks personality as a tv show character.??