‘Breaking Bad’ Releases the Series Finale Ratings

Breaking Bad Series Finale
Mike (Jonathan Banks), Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Marie Schrader (Betsy Brandt), Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), Skyler White (Anna Gunn) and Walter White, Jr. (RJ Mitte) in 'Breaking Bad' (Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels/AMC)

A whopping 10.3 million viewers tuned in to say good-bye to Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), and the rest of the colorful characters from AMC’s Breaking Bad on Sunday, September 29, 2013. That 10+ million viewership makes the series finale the biggest ratings earner over the show’s five seasons, posting numbers that were 300% above last season’s finale among adults 18-49.

Breaking Bad is simply unique,” stated Charlie Collier, AMC president, commenting on the finale’s numbers. “It all starts with Vince Gilligan who really only ever asked for one thing – the opportunity to end the show on his own terms. That is exactly what Vince did last night and, as always, brilliantly so. Congratulations to Vince and to every single person involved in this remarkable journey. We’re proud that AMC will forever be known as the birthplace and home of this iconic show and, at the same time, we tip our Heisenberg hat to the fans who made this a truly shared experience.”

The series’ finale was also a huge social media hit, with 1.24 million Tweets (tweeted by 601,370 people) setting a new Breaking Bad record. At its peak, Twitter users posted 22,373 tweets per minute. Among the tweets was one from series star Bryan Cranston who wrote: “Well, this is it… Thank you for sharing this ride with me…”

The series, which went out with a bang, earned the 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (and a total of 10 Emmys over five seasons).