Better Call Saul Draws Biggest Series Premiere in U.S. Cable History

NEW YORK: The premiere of the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul on AMC was the biggest series debut in cable history, drawing 4.4 million adults 18 to 49 and 4 million adults 25 to 54.

The series received a lead-in from The Walking Dead, which returned for the second half of its fifth season with a mid-season premiere that delivered 15.6 million total viewers and 10.1 million adults 18 to 49. The Walking Dead remains the number one show in all of television among adults 18 to 49. Sunday night’s episode was the highest performing regularly scheduled entertainment program of 2015.

Charlie Collier, AMC's president, said: “In a competitive environment that sometimes gets as much press as the shows themselves, it is gratifying to deliver programming that breaks through and reaches passionate audiences. For AMC, it starts with the creative talent we are so fortunate to be working with including, among many others—in the order of last night’s unforgettable schedule—Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple of The Walking Dead, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould of Better Call Saul, and Chris Hardwick of Talking Dead. We are supremely thankful for the talented people who call this network home, and for the fans who continue to make AMC a television destination unlike any other. Walking. Calling. Talking. Humbling.”