"Breaking Bad" mid-season opener a ratings winner

AMC's critically acclaimed drama "Breaking Bad" is breaking its viewership records.

The Nielsen ratings company says 5.9 million people watched the first of the Emmy Award-winning show's eight final episodes Sunday night. That's nearly double the audience it has ever reached for an episode. The previous record was just under 3 million viewers and came last August.

Sunday's episode featured a gripping confrontation between star Bryan Cranston's Walter White character and his brother-in-law Hank who had suddenly realized White was the drug kingpin he had been searching for. The show began in 2008 and ends next month.

Check out our recap of "Blood Money," the mid-season premiere.