Widely regarded as the pinnacle of the series, the final season is often split into two distinct parts.
It feels unfair to put Season 1 at the bottom, simply because it is less than half the length of the others (only 7 episodes due to the writers' strike). However, it suffers slightly from the "pilot syndrome," where the show is still finding its tone. It oscillates between a dark comedy and a crime drama, and while Bryan Cranston is instantly brilliant, the show hasn't yet fully embraced the cinematic brilliance that defines its later years. That said, it sets the stage perfectly, containing one of the greatest pilot episodes in TV history.