While the miniseries launch of USA’s “Political Animals” and the fifth season premiere of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” drew most of the press on Sunday (July 15) night, A&E’s under-the-radar “Longmire” outdrew them both.
AMC is being very enthusiastic about the launch for “Breaking Bad,” which drew 2.9 million viewers, a series high. Adding in the viewers for an 11:30 encore and “Breaking Bad” attracted 3.5 million viewers on premiere night. In the key 18-49 demographic, “Breaking Bad” was up by 34 percent over last season’s premiere with 1.9 million.
AMC President Charlie Collier enthusiastically blurbs, “From day one, ‘Breaking Bad’ has been a passion project for all of us at AMC. This show has helped define what our brand stands for in terms of supporting quality storytelling and creative risk-taking. Working with these terrifically creative people on such outstanding material has been a joy-filled ride. I’m so pleased to share this success with the entire ‘Breaking Bad’ team. We look forward to sharing the final 16 episodes with ‘Breaking Bad’s’ passionate fans. As our marketing campaign says, ‘All hail ‘The King.'”
The showdown that most ratings observers were eying involved “Breaking Bad” and the star-studded “limited series” “Political Animals.” Overall, the competition was close, with “Political Animals” averaging 2.6 million viewers in its 10 p.m. airing, but that included only 675,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic.
Overall, neither drama could match A&E’s “Longmire,” which averaged a series-high 4.5 million viewers in its 10 p.m. airing. A&E’s other Sunday drama, “The Glades,” hit a season high with 3.4 million viewers.