Sunday’s finale of Breaking Bad brought in a record 10.3 million viewers, which is 3 times more people than the midseason finale last year. The show has consistently gone up in viewership every week this season. Unfortunately, we’ll never know if Breaking Bad could have maintained such high numbers because it’s definitely over.
Entertainment Weekly has some quotes from series creator, Vince Gilligan. Gilligan says that he doesn’t regret finishing up Breaking Bad this season, and that he feels that they definitely went out on a high note. A lot of us agree about the high note part, but don’t want to say goodbye to these characters. I’m just going to quote Gilligan here but there’s much more on EW on the ratings for BB and how truly large they are in the context of the show.
Some will naturally wonder if AMC goofed in bringing the series to a close this year instead of extending the show to a sixth or seventh year or even an eighth year, like most hit dramas. Creator Vince Gilligan, in EW’s must-read exclusive Q&A about the finale, countered: “I can’t even believe that the ratings have increased with each episode — I just think it’s wonderful. People have asked me, ‘Does it make you want to go on and do a bunch more episodes now?’ Just the opposite. It makes me think, through quite a bit of good luck being involved, we really did pick the right moment to exit the stage.”
Most Breaking Bad fans would surely agree with that (and so would most fans of Showtime’s Dexter, whose eighth and final season felt padded and pointless and concluded to a chorus of jeers the previous week).
It’s likewise fitting that Gilligan credited Netflix at the Emmys a couple weeks ago after Breaking Bad won best drama series. There’s probably never been a series that’s better demonstrated the awesome and exponential power of catch-up viewing. Breaking Bad was like a virus (or perhaps a drug) that slowly spread for years, then suddenly exploded into a nationwide outbreak. Very late in its run, Breaking Bad went from being that dark show your one TV-savvy friend loves to being the big hit your whole office is talking about.
I guess that AMC looked at the numbers a couple of seasons ago, made an exit plan for Breaking Bad, and may regret that decision in light of how big the show got. I do agree that the show probably couldn’t have maintained its excellence if it were dragged out another three or four seasons. EW uses Dexter as an example, but I found Dexter to be so formulaic, especially in its voice overs and morality storyline. It got old because it stayed the same, whereas Breaking Bad’s appeal was in watching the characters evolve.
There’s so much post-analysis of Breaking Bad that it’s hard to know what to include. I’ll just add some links here if you’re like me and are still trying to savor this excellent show.
dramas of all time.
Photos via Tumblr
Although I enjoyed every moment, all things come to an end and I am glad they didn’t dilute the quality of the show by stretching it for another 5 years until we all got bored with it.
This.
i love the show and im happy its over. you cant keep up that much quality over time, especially the fifth season was incredible.
im all for ending shows before they have run out of steam.
its obviously easier with a show like breaking bad because they never brought in as much money as a big sitcom where everybody wants to keep it running, no matter what.
Most of the really good shows go out on a high note, had it stuck around longer folks might have got bored with it. It was a great show, had it lasted longer it might not be..
It was only a few weeks ago that I binge-watched the entire 4 seasons and watched season 5 as it aired. Love it and will def miss this show.
I did exactly the same a few months ago in netflix here in the uk. My boyfriend gave up in the first season, but I told him at the time you need to stick through the first series. It has been amazing. I’m actually going to miss it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that about another show
“Breaking bad” never seemed to me like an ordinary series – from the very start it was one huge story arc about passion, corruption, evil, love and redemption. I assume it was less about going out with the bang and more about finishing this story in a way that felt most true.
Dexter also had the problem of it seeming like the writers just got drunk before work after a while.
“Let’s have an assault victim fall for Dexter! Ouu next let his sister fall for Dexter! And we’ll have a felon take care of Harrison!”
It got lazy. Breaking Bad never got lazy. If anything, they kept amping up the game and putting their all into it.
Agreed 100%
Loved Dexter in the beginning, but after Season 4, which was Excellent, it got lazy. Although I did enjoy the series finale.
I don’t understand how ratings can increase week on week? Are people tuning in for the last few episodes without ever having watched the series?
It’s what she said about Netflix and catch up- I know a lot of people who started watching the past couple months to be able to watch the finale with everyone else.
That was me. I had foot surgery in January and had to stay home for 3 weeks with my foot up. So I kept hearing about it and in the UK it doesn’t come on TV, so I watched Netflix all 5 seaons up the last 8 in 3-4 weeks.
I’m one of those — I watched the entire series on Netflix over the summer (actually only took me 16 days to watch 54 episodes, it was so good!). Everyone told me how great it was. I’m so glad I finally watched it!
I started watching BB about a month ago on Netflix….binge watched every night and on my lunch breaks until I was caught up. Seems like a lot of other people were doing the same thing.
Ozymanias was one of the most incredible, affecting hours of television I have ever watched. During the knife scene, and the subsequent snatching of Holly, I swear I stopped breathing. My husband walked in the room and I had my mouth open with my hands clutched in my hair lol. I haven’t been that into a television show….ever.
SOOOO many people caught up via Netflix, DVD, and the marathon AMC ran, due to the incredible word of mouth and reviews of the show.
And I think people who normally DVR’d or caught it on demand later watched live, for fear of being spoiled if they waited.
Yes that’s exactly why I got all caught up. I didn’t want to be spoiled and I’m sooo glad I did!
Not to mention a lot of people chose to watch the finale live instead of DVR.
My husband and I started watching BB a couple months ago via Netflix and caught several weeks ago to the tv schedule. It was so hard watching only 1 episode and then having to wait a whole week. “what?!? It can’t be over already?!? It just started! Whinnnnne”
Bryan Cranston is so talented. I can’t believe this the same guy who played the dad in Malcolm In The Middle. Talk about having the range to go from one extreme to another.
Confession time: I think he’s hot. Like seriously.
@Tiffany, I’ve crushed on him since Malcolm in the Middle & wondered what was wrong with me that I liked a middle-aged guy who ran around in his tighty whities. It was my secret & now I feel (somewhat) vindicated. He seems like he has the best sense of humor in real life!
@ Monkey.. I can’t believe I’m about to admit this but the same goes for me. He was the whole reason I watched that show. He’s the reason I still watch it in re-runs. I loved that he wasn’t afraid to act an idiot on that show, it made him so attractive to me.
@ Blue Marie, you nailed it. His attractiveness comes from his absolute comfort with himself. Even the Hal bathroom scenes never deterred my love.
Anyone remember the first episode of the first season when Hal is standing in the kitchen, naked, while his wife shaves him?? Good God–he’s comfortable all right.
I remember the back shaving episode. My bf has to shave her husband’s back. I think it’s endearing that you can love a person enough to do things like that & still want to have sex with them.
Yes, a million times YES to Bryan Cranston.
I’ve had a lady-boner for him for years. *hangs head*
In all of his interviews, he comes across as uber-intelligent, no ego whatsoever and funny as hell. In other words, all the things I find SO sexay in a guy. :0
I think hes hot too…I loved him in Malcolm in the middle and always thought he was super talented..I will never forget the Burning Man episode he was sooo funny…
absolutely. Cranston as “Hal” was amazing…apparently, Cranston himself feels that Hal was more iconic than Walter White, and is what he’ll be remembered for. (that roller dancing sequence he did on Malcolm was AWESOME.)
AND he was Tim Watley on Seinfeld!
the man is a huge talent and a great person, too.
Did you watch Breaking Bad Doofus? Either way you may enjoy this
http://youtu.be/W_VyaQgprs4
I did…and THANK YOU! that was hilarious!
The roller skating scene is one of my favorite ever. I have my kids asking me to play it for them now lol
I, too, find him hot. I think it’s the obvious talent that does it for me. I mean, he’s hilarious as Hal, or Dr. Watley on Seinfeld, and then you just HATE him on BB. His acting range is amazing.
OMG that vid is too funny. I posted Aaron Paul on the Price is Right down thread which I also think is hysterical.
Ita he’s a great actor and he’s hot and a sexy nerd. Really smart. Love him. Walter white forever. Aaron Paul is hot too.
I remember Cransyon from when I was a little kid and my mom watched the ABC soap Loving. I have been watching Cranston forever and adore the man.
There is no way they could have dragged it on for another three or four seasons and maintained it’s own standard. It wasnt that kind of story. It would have gotten ridiculous at some point… how many times is his wife going to cry about her own choices, how many times will Walt and Jesse fall apart, how many evil men are there to kill in some clever and enormous plan? I think the point of the show was that he was an average man, breaking bad. If the story carried on it would have lost that aspect.
True. Any longer, and it might have become soapy. What I liked about BB was the fact that it felt more real-life, and its plots took time.
They could only go so long without DEA-Hank noticing/realizing. How would they justify Hank being so blind for 3 more seasons and still maintain his character as a competent person and cop? They ended at the right time, before quality suffered.
I think they could have continued the chase with Hank knowing and Walt going underground and on the run.
magpie—Maybe for a season, but AMC didn’t give them the kind of budget where they could run around shooting in different locations.
Besides, no way that would have worked dramatically. The core of the series is Walt juggling all the relationships and his career, hiding in plain sight. Take him out and reduce all those relationships— those great Walt lies & speeches– to phone calls from the road? nah. We were bored of Walt on the run after one episode.
I’ll just respectfully agree to disagree. I think the writing was so great that they could have made so many different scenarios work. Stuff we didn’t even think about.
Walt on the run just contradicts the entire plot I think! Walt doesnt run, he never ran, he worked his way out of absolutely everything and his only demise was his own fault. He technically killed himself and died doing what he loved and was good at.
That was just an example and I am not a writer. My point was to answer the question here which was “why does it have to be over?”. I think they could have still kept Hank alive and had killer plot lines for at least another season.
I miss this show already. And, I feel like all other tv shows are terriblr in comparison. Like nothing good is on tv right now.
Justified, Homeland, Parks and Recreation, Walking Dead
Ohh I forgot about Justified! Thank you!
Yay more Justified fans!
Justified is soooooo good! It’s coming back and I’m psyched!
Kudos for going out as something special as opposed to dragging it out for money (oh hey every show now past season 7!). Gilligan can right his own ticket, Cranston and Paul have already lined up numerous movie roles, and the other actors will be very quickly snapped up. From a business sense they could have kept going but instead from an artistic sense they get to be legendary. Bravo!
Even from a business sense it was smart to keep it short. Everyone from that show is now a hot commodity with the biggest success story being Vince himself.
Totally agree…Gilligan can do anything he wants now. My favorite take-away from this whole experience is that another great show (X-Files) was where a lot of the team met and how this wonderful piece of drama came to be.
Yeah, Vince is THE MAN now in hwood. He can have total complete creative control of any project he undertakes and could also make a jump to film.
I think Paul will have a long career. He is just the right age to be leading man. He has 4 films coming out next year and 1 of them will surely be a hit.
Cranston will get supporting and leading roles in A-list projects for a long time to come. He could def win an Oscar someday.
This is the best show ever and doctor who. Yes I am sad its over but I think it was dunzo. I think they went as far as they could go with the story and I don’t think they could have had a better ending. I’m satisfied with the plot and I don’t think the writers could have done a better job. Maybe in the future they have a spin off with Jesse and he will be the new Heisenberg. But yeah I’m sad it all over.
no way re: sequel, jesse is getting the f*#$% out of dodge!!
Yea, there is no way he’s going to want to be involved in any illegal activity or seedy characters again. I said on Uproxx that he needs to run to Cali and work in Nick Offerman’s Woodworking Shop lol
Just be thankful that it went out while it was still great unlike some shows(major side eye to Dexter who officially had more bad seasons than good.)
Now on to Homeland!!!!! Woo Hoo!
Breaking Bad was awesome though. Ahhhh
maybe AMC finally realized they shouldn’t have their own shows as they are by design a movie channel meant to show old movies like TCM does though AMC is on basic cable while TCM is still subscriber based
Huh? Mad Men has about a million Emmys. Walking Dead gets more viewers than most of the network shows. Why in the world would they stop having their own shows?
AMC is doing better than ever so you couldn’t be more wrong
AMC has several shows currently on: Low Winter Sun, The Walking Dead, The Killing, Mad Men and several in development so I am not sure what your point is.
By the way, most channels like AMC are heading towards their own series. Not moving away. The series are huge sources of revenue.
In the last few years, AMC has had some of the most talked about television shows on cable television. What on earth are you talking about?
Don’t worry, we still have Better Call Saul to look forward to!
I can’t wait!! And another show done by Vince Gilligan with the Saul character is going to be definitely worth watching.
Please God, make it SOON! I am sooo still in mourning for BB. I’m now on viewing #5 on dvr, plus Talking Bad. I am totally looking forward to Better Call Saul.
Wait, is there a Saul spinoff in the works? I loved his character!
Oh did you guys see the BB trivia post on The Chive? So funny. Can’t imagine if John Cusack had accepted the role of Walt, glad they eventually got BC.
Highly recommend re-viewing the entire series once it is available.
A key component of the show’s success was the meticulous attention to detail and continuity. On first watching, one tends to miss some little things that later turn out to be very important later because you always couldn’t wait to find out what the next shocking thing would be.
I also think your feelings change about certain events when you know the ending. Many times fans rooted for Walt and Jessie to succeed in one of their crazy plots, exact their revenge, get back together to cook etc. But when I caught a few episodes of the BB marathon pre-finale, I found myself yelling at Jessie to get in the van to go to Alaska, and hoping Mike kept Walt handcuffed to the radiator long enough to unload the methylamine and end it.
Always leave them wanting more, as George Costanza would say, “That’s it for me!”
Separate note: Watched Homeland premier yesterday. Rupert Friend is so freaking hot as Quinn. If he and Carrie do not have sex I will be seriously disappointed.
Omg, LOOOOOVE the George Costanza “leaving on a high note” reference!
Actually I do not agree about Dexter. I liked this season and the finale.
I am not over BB. Sundance is running the series on Mondays so I watch it on there.
I will say the one series I am disappointed in is the premiere of Homeland. Complete snore.
@celebitchy – Its definitely worth rewatching the entire series. I rewatched the entire series before these last episodes and it was even more awesome than when I originally watched. I noticed so many things I hadnt before and I was so much more invested in the characters…Best show ever! I hope Mike will be a character on Saul’s new show…love Mike!
I just re-watched too and it’s incredible the way the show’s tone completely changed. The beginning was dark but also really freaking funny. My favorite ep is “Better Call Saul” because Badger, Jesse, Saul, and Walt were all pure gold in it.
Oh and my favorite line to this day is when Walt first goes into Saul’s office to talk about Badger and he’s wearing a ridiculous hat and glasses and Saul turns around and sees him and laughs and says “Should I call the FBI and let them know I found D.B. Cooper?” Makes me laugh so hard and so few people get it
Asputter, I got that, too. Of course, I had forgotten about that line being used, but ‘D. B. Cooper’ is just one of the hundreds of brilliant script moments in BB.
Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
IMO, much of the hype was because the last episode was coming up so a lot of people watched everything in an effort to catch up. If there hadn’t been this hype I don’t think it’d be breaking all these audience records (says the BB snob that has been proudly watching since the pilot).
But yes, I think they could have easily made the series longer. Hank didn’t have to be killed off and they could have dragged out the chase a lot longer.
I would love to see a BB movie spinoff about Jesse. Yes, he’s alive, but in terrible emotional condition. With his luck I can see him getting into more crazy f*cked up adventures. Walt could appear in dream sequences.
For a while I thought that Jesse was wrecked and there was no chance of him being able to function. But the ending makes me think that he has a chance still to get his life back together. He took a stand by refusing to take Walt’s order and killing him. He’s not a killer by nature and he stayed true to himself by taking the high road and leaving. Plus he’s a man with talent and potential that he hasn’t fully discovered. I loved the scene where he was making his box because he clearly loved working with his hands and actually ‘making’ something. I just have hope that he runs and hones his woodworking/creative skills and finds some peace in his life.
I already miss the show, but I think it ended perfectly and wouldn’t have wanted it to drag out. And it was Vince Gilligan, not AMC, who decided when it should end. He figured out what he had left in terms of story, and went out right when he wanted to.
I started losing interest in Dexter when they killed off Sgt. Doakes (Erik King). After Season 2, I guess.
Ditto. Doakes was the sh*t! He and his interactions with Dexter were freaking hilarious and I was so bummed when they killed him
I think it’s really important, especially with a story like this, to have an END. When something is a commercial success it’s easy for networks and shows to drag it out and keep cashing in, but I have a lot more respect for networks and channels who let the writers/creator tell the story they want to tell, even if it means going out on top.
This show was perfect storytelling, start to finish. I can’t wait to go back and rewatch the whole thing someday.
That THR top 5 series list is all recent: The Wire, The Sopranos, Mad Men and Breaking Bad. What about M*A*S*H or Twin Peaks?
Aaron Paul on the Price is Right: I won B*tches! lololol!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SEL27xiJGQ
I don’t think they “looked at the numbers and made an exit plan.” As someone who has followed Breaking Bad since 2010, and received the monthly BB emails in the offseason, I’ve read tons of interviews with Vince and the cast throughout the years. It was ALWAYS supposed to be finite, only lasting 5 or 6 seasons. It would have been ridiculous to drag it out. The story came to it’s natural conclusion. It could have stuck around a few more years and fallen apart, but because it exited at it’s peak Vince and the cast are now Hollywood Royalty and the show will forever go down in history as one of the best of all time.
For anyone who watched Talking Bad after the finale, a question: Someone, Vince G I think, said how Sky would never be able to tell Flynn that his dad wasn’t the one who killed Hank. Why is that? Why wouldn’t/couldn’t she tell him? I understand maybe not right away because then she would be spilling that she knew more than she could let on, but why not later? After things calmed down and the investigation was closed? For some reason that bugs me – I want Flynn to know his dad didn’t kill Hank!
Hmmmm…I’m pretty sure that Flynn will find out. Sky was going to use that lottery ticket as leverage and she knows that he was going after the men who did it. Then when they found Walt’s body and all the dead Nazi’s, they’re going to put two and two together.
I have been searching the web for an answer to this. They clearly stated that Flynn can never know that Walt did NOt kill Hank and I cannot think of a reason why nor can I find the reason any where else….
There are quite a few people asking the same question though. Sadly, they don’t get replies.
(Sniff) I will miss you BB. Now bring on The Walking Dead!!
Meh. BB jumped the shark with that last episode. I tuned out after the first half hour.
Loved the show. Well there’s nothing else to do now that it’s gone except…
“Better Call Saul”
I thought the last season was great, and the series finale was good. It wrapped everything up, and it was satisfying. But, I guess I don’t have the same sadness or nostalgia that some people are having with regards to the end of this show.
I think this series had it’s share of lame episodes just like any other drama on TV. To be honest, I thought a lot of seasons three and four were pretty mediocre. I will never got over the stupidity of calling the episode where Walt kills Gus “face off”. Sorry, the whole way that death went down was just dumb to me.
Taken in totality across all the seasons, I think BB was a very good show. I just don’t think it was as perfect as so many other people seem to think. Seasons one, two and five were awesome. But, for me, the show ranged a lot from merely passably entertaining to occasionally being really fantastic. That said though, I enjoyed the finale; and I definitely think it ended the right way at the right time.
Let’s see what “Better Call Saul” brings to the table, b*tch! 😉
I agree season three was not great. I hated the fly episode.
Ugh, God…what a horrible bottle episode!
Honestly, couldn’t get into that show. “CSI Miami” and “Law and Order” were superior, IMO.
I think it’s good to end on a high note. I remember reading about how the people of Sex and the City wanted to end on a high note – they didn’t want to wear out their welcome. …But then they came out with the movie… and a sequel to that movie.
That’s how it happens, though, usually. Shows generally run for so long that, by the end, most people are happy when it ends.
Kind of off topic, but one show I definitely never stopped loving was Friends. Yes, it was ten seasons, but they were ten of the best seasons of my life. At the end, instead of feeling relieved, I felt like I was mourning. Ah, good show…
Half the point of the show was that it was ALWAYS going to be finite. Walt was ALWAYS going to die in the end. So it seems like a moot point to ask “why did it have to end.”
Blood meth and tears. Better finale than The Sopranos but not as good as The Six Feet Under finale. But nothing ever will be.