Breaking Bad wasn’t always a hit in terms of ratings. AMC actually almost let it go a couple years ago, believe it or not. It was only recently that viewership picked up, with the fourth season finale pulling in 1.9 million viewers, the season five premiere bringing in 2.93 million and the second half debut of season five delivering a whopping 5.92 million. As impressive as those numbers were, last week’s penultimate episode crushed previous records, captivating 6.58 million.
As we headed into the finale, everyone knew that it would likely set a record for most viewers, but no one could have expected just how spectacular the numbers would be.
According to EW, last night’s series finale had 10.3 million viewers, and that’s not even counting the DVR stats.
The significant pick up in numbers over the years is no doubt attributed to not only the show’s appearance on Netflix, but also the extraordinary word of mouth and extremely positive buzz that Breaking Bad has been picking up recently. It’s easy to forget but the show wasn’t always a pop culture phenomenon like it is now. Up until season four or so, most people I knew hadn’t even heard of it.
The success that Breaking Bad has seen, both critically and commercially, is well deserved. It is a monumental achievement for all those involved and will surely go down in history as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Though we are all sad to see it go, I’m pleased to see that it went out on top, with a truly stunning finale that smashed previous records for viewership.
Tell us, what did you think of last night’s Breaking Bad series finale? Let us know in the comments below.
