Breaking Bad Season Premiere Doubles Show's Previous Ratings High

5.9 million viewers tuned in to the AMC show

Breaking Bad surged to a series record Sunday night, bringing in 5.9 million viewers in its first airing -- nearly doubling its previous high. The start of the AMC series' final eight episodes, the jump makes a compelling case for how many viewers have found the series on Netflix, DVD and OnDemand during its lengthy hiatus.

The first half of Breaking Bad's final season opened with 2.9 million viewers last July, making for a 102 percent gain, year over year. A record at the time, the series eclipsed the haul several episodes later with 3 million viewers tuning into the penultimate episode before the show's break.