Third-Season Debut The Nielsen Charm For AMC's 'Breaking Bad'

Things broke right for AMC last night.
The third-season debut of original series Breaking Bad was the Bryan Cranston-starrer's most-watched episode to date.
The March 21 debut at 10 p.m. registered a 1.4 household rating, translating into some 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen data.
That performance, according to network officials, marked a 40% rise over the average for the second season, for which Cranston, starring as Walt White, a high school chemistry teacher turned crystal meth cooker and seller, earned his second consecutive Emmy for best actor.
Combining subsequent showings at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., the installment counted a gross audience of 3.3 million watchers.
The March 21 bow was also a winner across a host of demographic metrics, notching double-digit gains relative to second-season averages of: 80% to 200,000 among females 18 to 34; 93% to 482,000 with females 18 to 49; 50% to 663,000 guys 18 to 49; and 65% to almost 1.15 million persons 18 to 49.