Breaking Bad Beats Its Own Ratings Record, Dexter Ends on a High Note

Series finale of the serial killer hit is the most watched original Showtime episode ever

By Jenna Mullins Sep 23, 2013 8:06 PMTags
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Sunday was a sweet, sweet evening for Breaking Bad.

Not only did the AMC series take home the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, but last night's penultimate episode brought in 6.6 million viewers. That means Breaking Bad beat its own AMC record set a week earlier with "Ozymandias" (6.4 million viewers).

Breaking Bad had heavy competition last night, what with that little awards show that aired last night and the Dexter series finale. And speaking of…

Despite most critics and viewers universally panning Dexter Morgan's (Michael C. Hall) swan song, the series-ender brought in 3.3 million viewers for the night, making it the highest-rated Dexter episode ever and the most watched original episode in Showtime history.

Former Dexter producer Clyde Phillips recently shared with us his plans for ending Dexter, had he stayed with the show. You can read about his chill-inducing plan here.

Breaking Bad's ratings domination shows no signs of slowing down since the midseason premiere episode brought in 102 percent more viewers (yes, you read that right) than the season-five premiere.

"For Breaking Bad to continue to deliver record-setting ratings in its fifth and final season is remarkable," AMC's president and general manager, Charlie Collier said in a statement. "Our new series, Low Winter Sun, is off to a strong start, and we have successfully launched another after-show in Talking Bad, which will super-serve Breaking Bad fans all the way through these final episodes."

What did you think of the Dexter finale? And for you Breaking Bad fans, think the series finale will hit 10 million viewers?