Was Breaking Bad really almost cancelled after its first season?

The answer

Breaking Bad premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, with a shortened first season of just seven episodes instead of the planned nine - cut due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Ratings were low, with the premiere drawing only 1.4 million viewers. AMC was a relatively small cable network that had just begun producing original programming with Mad Men. The Writers Guild strike, which ran from November 2007 to February 2008, actually helped the show: with no new scripted content on major networks, audiences discovered Breaking Bad during repeats and DVD sales. AMC renewed it, but ratings remained modest through Season 2 (1.66 million average). It wasn't until Netflix added the show for streaming in 2011 that viewership exploded. The series finale on September 29, 2013, drew 10.3 million viewers.