The TV Zone

Great chance this week to catch up to one of the season’s best new drama-comedy creations.

“Breaking Bad” gets a three-episode mini-marathon from AMC this Wednesday (Feb. 13), 8-11 p.m. The series’ first three hours set up the story of a high school chemistry teacher who gets into the crystal meth business for the weirdest of reasons.

But this is the weirdest of shows -- a sort of warm weather “Fargo” taking place in the New Mexico desert, all dry humor and deadly action, rolled together into a quirky adult concoction.

It’s also got the breakout performance of the year from Bryan Cranston [in AMC photo at right], who always had a deft touch as the hapless dad of “Malcolm in the Middle,” but here gets to broaden his range more acutely. Cranston wrings tragedy out of black humor, making us feel his pain even as we laugh at its absurdity. Smart stuff.

“Breaking Bad” regularly airs new episodes on AMC Sunday night at 10. There’s also a superb web site crammed with video and games. (Episodes 1 and 2 are still streaming there. All episodes also available as paid downloads at iTunes, where there's also a free making-of featurette.)