Top 10 Drug-Related TV Shows (with addicting side effects!)
Top 10 Drug-Related TV Shows (with addicting side effects!)
Drugs are bad, of course. But the TV story possibilities are endless (and quite addictive). So what's your fix? We've got uppers, downers, booze, pills, some Mad Men, some Breaking Bad… But who will rise to the top, and become the drug kingpin of our list? And speaking of kingpins, you won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm. Join Emmy-winners Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan and the entire writing team as they divulge how they created the stories for a show that was recently named one of the best written TV series of all time.
Photo Credit: AMC Press10. South Park
"It's called 'Cheesing.' Because it's FON-to-DUE."
South Park never has a problem with taking on controversial topics, and this includes drugs. The show has focused on pot, steroids, heroin, and even cough medicine. But perhaps South Park's most memorable foray into the world of drug use was the season twelve episode "Major Boobage," in which the kids in town get into... cat urine (a.k.a., "Cheesing"). As the "Cheesing" epidemic spreads far and wide, the boys must find a way to save Kenny from his massive urine addiction. Can they save their friend in time? Probably they can! Anyway, just remember that drugs are bad, mmm-kay; even when it's a made-up drug scare like "cheesing."
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: Comedy Central9. Mad Men
"I'm Peggy Olson and I wanna smoke some marijuana."
Mad Men begins in the early sixties, when drinking like a fish was considered socially acceptable. But as the show progresses, and as we move into the later sixties, other drugs start to pop up, including "marijuana cigarettes" and even -- gasp! -- LSD. ...We'll have to wait and see how the boys and girls at Sterling Cooper can handle the drug culture, as the 1960s spiral from (supposed) innocence to total decadence.
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.8. That '70s Show
"You know, there's a seedy subculture that buys drugs for recreation... I saw one time on an after-school special..."
That '70s Show never actually showed anyone doing drugs. But when the kids were all huddling in a circle in the basement, it was pretty clear what was going on: a lot of bizarre spacey conversation that could (maybe) have (definitely) been the result of pot-smoking. That's our theory, at least. Of course it took the parents on the show eight seasons to pick up on this...
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: Casey-Werner Television7. True Blood
"Just... just don't bite me, okay?"
Vampires can have problems too! Lots of problems, as it turns out. In the world of True Blood, blood is the drug. Vampire blood -- or "V" -- is even more powerful and alluring than human blood, and when humans take "V," lots of crazy things can happen (hallucinations, healing powers, spiritual bonding, and -- oh yeah -- great sex). Selling "V" is illegal, but doesn't stop corrupt humans and vampires from going to great lengths to buy and sell it. And you thought being immortal would be easy...
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: HBO6. Nurse Jackie
"You know what, babe? Even when you're telling the truth, it sounds like a lie."
Vicodin, Adderall, Percocet, Oxycontin... it's just another day in the life of Nurse Jackie. Hey, working in an emergency room can be stressful! Jackie does her best to keep it under wraps -- for her patients and her family -- but sometimes doing her best involves swallowing massive amounts of pills. The most recent season found Jackie staying drug-free for an entire year; but somehow, we feel that a relapse might be just around the corner...
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: Showtime5. United States of Tara
"Drugs not hugs."
Unlike a lot of characters on our list, Tara is trying to resist using drugs -- she wants to stay off the medication for her multiple personality disorder. Staying off the drugs makes life a lot crazier for everyone around her -- but it might just let Tara be who she truly needs to be.
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: Showtime4. Oz
"There's always a scar. Which is meant, I guess, to remind you that -- even for a little while -- someone made your heart beat faster."
In Oz, prison isn't the end of the drug underworld -- it's just the beginning. Augustus Hill struggles to survive day-to-day life in Oswald State Correctional Facility -- surrounded by drugs, death, and temptation. ...Drugs got him into this mess: but can he find a way out?
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: HBO3. Weeds
"Let your freak flag fly."
Much like Breaking Bad (which we'll get to in a second), Weeds features an ordinary suburban housewife plunged into a world of crime. Selling marijuana may seem harmless (at least compared to some other drugs that you could sell), but in her quest for cash, Nancy Botwin manages to destroy her entire family. So long, white picket fence!
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: Showtime2. The Wire
"Don't matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war, and now there ain't no going back."
Arguably the greatest television show in the history of... ever, The Wire takes the cops n' criminals genre and turns it on its head. Creator David Simon is a former police reporter, and his adherence to realism pays off. In The Wire, addiction doesn't just flow downward; it flows upward as well, infiltrating the police force, the city government, and the media. It is an indictment of an entire society, and we learn that where there are drugs, there are consequences. But there aren't "good guys" or "bad guys"; instead, there are just flawed human beings trying to survive amidst corruption.
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: HBO1. Breaking Bad
"We're done when I say we're done."
Breaking Bad is perhaps the best examination of a man's downward arc since The Godfather. Former schoolteacher Walter White is a good man... or is he? Do good intentions even matter, when you're cooking up crystal meth?
As Walt and his partner Jesse descend further into a life of crime, Walter leaves his old self further and further behind -- family, fatherhood; these things are sacrificed as a "good man" becomes a murderous drug lord. Breaking Bad hasn't reached its conclusion yet -- but for Walter, and for us, there may be no exit. Is there a lesson here? Is there a moral? The lesson might be this: the further you go down the rabbit hole, the harder it is to get yourself back again.
Craving a new TV fix? You won't want to miss the Breaking Bad episode of THE WRITERS' ROOM, which airs Monday, July 29th at 10pm.
Photo Credit: AMC Press
