--- description: The Sunday night launch attracted 6.9 million viewers title: 'Better Call Saul' Scored Highest Debut Ratings in Cable History image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e047d6820589edc/69877e510b72e348266dd977/ap298051458707-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Better Call Saul_ Scored Highest Debut Ratings in Cable History by [James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 9, 2015 8:36 PM CUT  In this image released by AMC, Bob Odenkirk portrays Saul Goodman in a scene from "Better Call Saul." In this image released by AMC, Bob Odenkirk portrays Saul Goodman in a scene from "Better Call Saul."Ursula Coyote—AP by [James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 9, 2015 8:36 PM CUT Bet AMC is really glad they called Saul. Sunday night’s launch of _Better Call Saul_ was the highest-rated series debut in cable history. The highly anticipated _Breaking Bad_ 6.9 million viewers and a record-setting 3.4 adults 18-49 rating. Of course, a show debuting after a mid-season premiere of _The_ _Walking Dead_ is a bit like airing an episode after the Super Bowl. Ratings for tonight’s second episode should provide a stronger sense of the show’s true performance (no spoilers, but Monday’s hour contains a desert-set scene that’s easily the best sequence the show’s first few episodes). EW’s Dan Snierson has some scoop what Saul [producers have planned this season](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/06/better-call-saul-stars-creators-talk-breaking-bad-spin "undefined"). and some discussion of [that black-and-white opening flashforward scene](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/08/%E2%80%98better-call-saul%E2%80%99-vince-gilligan-and-bob-odenkirk-surprise-opening-scene "undefined"). _The Walking Dead_, meanwhile, had 15.6 million viewers and a 8.9 adults 18-49 rating – that’s down just slightly from last year’s midseason opener and ranks as the biggest adult-demo rating of any series this season. The episode was a surreal surprise that – as EW’s Dalton Ross put it – played like a poem. Ccheck out his [interview with a departing actor](http://ew.com/article/2015/02/08/walking-dead-star-chad-coleman-talks-about-incredibly-powerful-midseason-premiere "undefined") and his [Q&A with showrunner Scott Gimple](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/08/walking-dead-showrunner-scott-m-gimple-explains-trippy-tragic-midseason-premiere "undefined"). The AMC double-header may have had an impact on last night’s Grammy Awards, which [fell to a six-year low](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/09/grammy-ratings-lowest-years "undefined"). _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/09/better-call-saul-scores-highest-debut-ratings-cable-history?asdf "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com "undefined")_._ _Read next:_ [_Q&A: Vince Gilligan on Reviving Saul Goodman in ‘Better Call Saul’_](http://time.com/3694327/interview-vince-gilligan-better-call-saul/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3701769/better-call-saul-highest-debut-rating/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3701769/better-call-saul-highest-debut-rating/"},"headline":"Better Call Saul Scored Highest Debut Ratings in Cable History","datePublished":"2015-02-09T20:36:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:16:31.734Z","description":"The Sunday night launch attracted 6.9 million viewers","url":"https://time.com/3701769/better-call-saul-highest-debut-rating/","keywords":["Television","Better Call Saul"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e047d6820589edc/69877e510b72e348266dd977/ap298051458707-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e047d6820589edc/69877e510b72e348266dd977/ap298051458707-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"In this image released by AMC, Bob Odenkirk portrays Saul Goodman in a scene from \"Better Call Saul.\"","caption":"In this image released by AMC, Bob Odenkirk portrays Saul Goodman in a scene from \"Better Call Saul.\"","creditText":"Ursula Coyote—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3701769/better-call-saul-highest-debut-rating/","name":"Better Call Saul Scored Highest Debut Ratings in Cable History"}}]}] ```