Is AMC's Breaking Bad The New Mad Men?



Is AMC's Breaking Bad The New Mad Men? Is AMC the new HBO (Or, to be more precise of late, Showtime)? The season 2 premiere (see above) is thoroughly compelling stuff to watch, if profoundly violent in its narrative arc. Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston doesn't act so much as he howls into the American west at the injustice of his fate and his lack of money (a problem, we imagine, that many at this moment in the economic crisis can relate to) And despite minimal promotion -- did you even know it started up again? -- ratings are up. From Medialifemagazine:

"In their first seasons, AMC’s original dramas 'Mad Men' and 'Breaking Bad' generated lots of critical acclaim. In their second, they’re finally generating some strong ratings for the network. Months after 'Men' saw ratings double for its season two premiere, 'Bad' experienced a similar bump for its Sunday debut.

"The show about a terminally ill high school chemistry teacher who begins dealing crystal meth to earn money for his family averaged 1.7 million total viewers in the 10 p.m. slot, up 42 percent over its first-year bow, according to Nielsen.

"Among adults 18-49, 'Bad' shot up 36 percent over last year, to 929,000 viewers. Most of them were men, with males 18-49 up 50 percent over season one, to 613,000 viewers."

And no less an august pop-culture watcher as Steven King -- who knows a thing or two about raw behavior in America's hinterlands -- has given the show his imprimatur.