Both “Breaking Bad” and “Dexter” beat their own ratings records Sunday night, but in the battle against each other, the former prevailed convincingly.
Sunday’s “Bad,” the show’s penultimate episode, delivered a whopping 6.6 million viewers with a 3.4 adults 18-49. Narrowly up from last week’s performance, the numbers both represent all-time bests for AMC’s instant-classic.
“Dexter,” meanwhile, closed out its eight-season run with an audience of 2.8 million viewers (the adults 18-49 number was not available at press time) for its initial telecast.
Though a series best, the number reflects virtually no inflated interest in the finale. Last year’s finale attracted 2.7 million viewers, while this year’s premiere drew 2.5 million viewers. In growing so little from such episodes, the “Dexter” finale proved itself relevant to the show’s fans but unworthy of “event” status.
Of course, that it–and “Bad”–hit ratings records on this particular Sunday is irrefutably impressive. In addition to facing a well-rated football game between the Steelers and Bears, the shows also aired opposite the best-rated Emmys broadcast in eight years.