Bryan Cranston will be cooking some more on AMC.
The Rainbow Media-owned service has renewed Breaking Bad for a second season. AMC has ordered 13 more installments of the series, which stars Cranston as a Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher stricken with cancer, who looks to secure his family's financial future by ‘cooking’ high-grade crystal meth, from Sony Pictures Television.
The seven-episode first season -- additional installments fell victim to the Writers Guild of America strike -- averaged a 0.9 household rating for the initial airings, delivering 825,000 homes, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Those numbers improved on the network’s 2007 primetime averages by 4% and 5%, respectively, according to network officials.
The renewal continues AMC’s push to complement its theatrical showings with a stable of original productions that has already yielded the acclaimed retro advertising series Mad Men and western miniseries Broken Trail.
“From critical praise to strong ratings and a devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television,” said AMC executive vice president and general manager Charlie Collier in a statement. “Breaking Bad is a powerful, intelligent and thought-provoking series that clearly resonated with viewers and critics alike. We’re excited for a second season of Breaking Bad with new and provocative storylines that will delve deeper into the next chapter in the life of Walter White.”
