By
James Hibberd, EW.com
July 18, 2011 5:21 p.m. EDT
"Breaking Bad" has managed the rather improbable feat of growing in the ratings every season on AMC.
AMC's critical darling "Breaking Bad" returned Sunday night with a tense episode that delivered its highest ratings ever.A total of 2.6 million viewers and 1.5 million adults 18-49 tuned into the premiere telecast, up a whopping 30% from its third season debut more than a year ago.
That's still down slightly from the fourth season debut of "Mad Men," for those keeping score on that front, though edges out the Madison Avenue drama in the adult demo.
"Breaking Bad" has managed the rather improbable feat of growing in the ratings every season on AMC. (I mean, it's only improbable when you look at how ratings normally behave, not if you're a fan of the show.)