'Better Call Saul' Ratings News: Debut Episode Hits Record High for Cable TV

"Better Caul Saul," the prequel to popular television series "Breaking Bad," premiered recently with record high ratings and broke the record for the biggest cable TV series debut ever.

The highly anticipated spin-off aired by AMC was watched by some 6.9 million viewers, according to the Entertainment Weekly website.

An estimated 3.4 million adults aged 18 to 49 was also glued to the show, which was way higher than the figures posted by "Breaking Bad" when it debuted in 2008.

A report from The Independent said the high ratings received by "Better Call Saul" were due to the fact that it followed another popular cable television series, AMC's zombie drama "The Walking Dead."

The show's mid-season return attracted some 15.6 million viewers at 9 p.m., and most of these viewers also watched "Better Call Saul."

"The Walking Dead"'s figures, however, were slightly lower compared to last year's midseason opener. Still, the show remains to be AMC's biggest regularly-scheduled program of the year so far.

The AMC combo may have caused Sunday's Grammy Awards show to fall to a six-year low.

"Better Call Saul" tells the story of small-time criminal lawyer Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk. The show's first season will be composed of 10 episodes, while the second season with 13 episodes will air next year.

Aside from Odenkirk, actor Jonathan Banks will also reprise his role in "Breaking Bad" as Mike Ehrmantraut in the spinoff.

"Better Call Saul" was created by Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan, the same person behind "Breaking Bad."