Arts: Why Don?t Brits Watch Breaking Bad?

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Brow Beat Why Don't Brits Watch  Breaking Bad? By June Thomas Posted Wednesday, Jul 18, 2012, at 12:10 PM ET This past Sunday, Breaking Bad's Season 5 premiere drew nearly 3 million viewers to AMC, making it the show's most-watched episode. Granted, TNT's Western procedural Longmire outdrew the show by 1.5 million viewers, and Lifetime's Army Wives reached 500,000 more. Breaking Bad at least beat USA's Political Animals and HBO's The Newsroom—and, among advertiser-coveted 18 to 49-year-olds, it outperformed all the cable shows in its Sunday-at-10-p.m. time slot. The show's return was also heralded by critics with almost universal praise. Slate welcomed it back with a 10-minute "here's what you missed" video, a slick interactive feature, a mash note to Skyler White, and a TV Club. In other words, the full Mad Men love bomb. Meanwhile, over in my native Britain, the show hasn't even got a broadcast home. As Lorna Cooper explained at MSN UK, two channels have tried it—FX in 2008 and Channel 5USA in 2009—and both failed to find an audience. In its initial airing on FX, Breaking Bad managed "consolidated ratings of around 120,000 viewers." Dismal numbers. Seasons 3 and 4 have never been shown by a U.K. broadcaster. What's going on? Start with the show's premise. For Brits, who have relied for decades on the National Health Service—where money never changes hands for medical care—the thought of someone turning to crime in order to pay for cancer treatment is more far-fetched than a body-switching ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Another Abortion Showdown in Virginia Marissa Mayer Is in Over Her Head The Romney Campaign's Data Strategy	Advertisement
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