Breaking Bad Gets Final 16-Episode Order

NEW YORK: AMC has ordered 16 more episodes of Breaking Bad that will wrap up the series.

Production will start in early 2012, with rollout of the new episodes to be determined by the network. The show’s fourth season launched July 18 to the series’ highest ratings ever. Household ratings are up 30 percent on season three; season four is delivering 28-percent more total viewers and more than 45-percent more adults 18 to 34 than last season. The show is written, produced and directed by Vince Gilligan.

Charlie Collier, the president of AMC, said, "From the day we heard Vince Gilligan’s completely original vision for Breaking Bad, it has been a complete joy to be involved with this show. Watching this story evolve into the complex, compelling, and intense roller coaster ride that it has become has been an incredible creative experience for everyone at AMC. Beyond that, working with Vince, his brilliant cast and crew, and our wonderful partners at Sony has been remarkable in every way. While it is sad to even contemplate the end of this series, we are so happy to have had the chance to go on this ride, and truly look forward to presenting the rest of this amazing story."

"It’s a funny irony—I’d hate to know the date of my own last day on earth, but I’m delighted to know what Walter White’s will be (episodically speaking)," added Gilligan. "This is a great gift to me and to my wonderful writers. It’s knowledge which will allow us to properly build our story to a satisfying conclusion. Now, if we don’t manage to pull that off, we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves." He continued, "Breaking Bad has been a dream job these past four years. Working with the best cast and crew in television has no doubt spoiled me for future projects. I’m lucky to get to work with them on 16 more episodes, and I will always be grateful to both AMC and Sony Television, who from the beginning, believed in our show and supported me creatively and professionally. We have been able to take risks with Breaking Bad which would not have been possible on other networks."

"We’ve watched Breaking Bad grow over the years with viewers, as championed by the unwavering support of critics and the well deserved accolades Vince and his talented actors have received," commented Zack Van Amburg, the president of programming for Sony Pictures Television. "We’re looking forward to seeing Vince’s masterful storytelling come fully to fruition over the course of the series’ final episodes."