As for the sneak-peeked Rubicon pilot, it looks like AMC has scored again -- this one reminded me a lot of something like the BBC's (wait for it ..... masterful) State of Play. I'm somewhat concerned that original showrunner (and writer/director of the pilot) Jason Horwitch has apparently been ditched, but his replacement, Henry Brommell, appears to be up to the task with credits like Homicide and Carnivale.
I didn't see the Rubicon preview but became optimistic after reding something about its "deliberate, 70's-style" pacing. That's the kind of thing I was hoping for from Treme before I found it to be a disappointment. This thing about Horwitch doesn't seem to bode well though. Did he create the show?
As for Breaking Bad, I still think Mad Men is the smartest, most thoughtful current drama but BB brings more thrills and unpredictability than just about anything currently going. I'd advise Hollywood to take notes but that's probably a hopeless cause at this point. It was interesting to read the post-finale interviews w/ Vince Galligan where he talked about just how much they winged it this year, and how unambiguous he intended the last shot of the episode to be. Seems to me the director gave him an unintentional "out," but I'm not sure how plausible it would be if he took it.
