‘Breaking Bad’ finale cooks up its highest ratings ever

Backed by near-unanimous critical praise, incessant social media conversation and intense coverage on every form of talk show, Breaking Bad soared to its highest ratings ever — and also created a record 500,00 illegal downloads — in its finale Sunday night on AMC.

The finale also scored a powerhouse number in the audience that advertisers pay most to reach — in this case a reported cable record of $400,000 (€295,000) for each commercial — with 6.7m viewers in the audience between 18 and 49 years old.

The only other drama to attract more viewers for its US finale was The Sopranos on HBO, which totalled 11.9m. But The Sopranos always had big ratings numbers. Breaking Bad was truly a late finisher, growing every year, especially over its last 16 episodes, driven largely by so-called binge viewing as fans caught up with the series through streaming on Netflix or by playing DVDs.

The series, centred around once humble chemistry teacher turned drug lord Walter White, ended Sunday with a thrilling climax to its fifth and final season a week after winning best drama at the Emmys, television’s Oscars.

Breaking Bad, set in the dangerous world of methamphetamine (crystal meth) trading, which White rises to dominate, mesmerised viewers with a cocktail of meticulously crafted plot, fine acting, and scenic camera work.

However, it was the stunning metamorphosis of White’s average guy persona into that of a veritable monster that ultimately captivated audiences.

White, played by actor Bryan Cranston, became a meth manufacturer in the New Mexico city of Albuquerque, having learned at age 50 that he had terminal lung cancer.

With his bank account all but empty the lead character outwardly took the drastic decision to pay for his treatment and provide for his family, but the underworld he enters eventually captures him in unanticipated fashion, catapulting him into the role of a criminal kingpin feared by his rivals.

But much as he manages to achieve his original goal — at one point raising around $80m for himself — his life spirals out of control and ends in tragedy for many of the characters involved in the show.

While AMC, the cable channel which broadcasts Breaking Bad, will be happy with the high ratings, it will be less pleased at the number of people who watched the final episode through illicit means around the world.

The show was illegally downloaded more than 500,000 times within 12 hours of the first illegal copy appearing online, according to online piracy news website TorrentFreak.

Australia had the largest number of illegal downloads with 18% of the total, followed by the US on 14.5%, Britain on 9.3%, India on 5.7%, and Canada 5.1%.

Other countries in the top 10 for illegal downloads included the Netherlands, Poland, the Philippines, France, and South Africa. TorrentFreak said the show was illicitly watched even in places where it was available legally.

Twitter comments surged before, during and after Sunday’s episode, making it the top ranked social media buzz generating show of the evening, according to the SocialGuide tracker of social media traffic.

Continuing my #BreakingBad marathon & I kinda think I have a tv crush on Jesse Pinkman 😍😍

— Pusha Bi. (@BiancaEnRogue) October 1, 2013

Thanks for watching last night. The #BreakingBad Series Finale hit a record 10.3M viewers! http://t.co/nzkWe0gEnQ pic.twitter.com/UsIPK3Rmz3

— Breaking Bad (@BreakingBad) September 30, 2013