Better Call Saul premiered to 6.9 million viewers Sunday on AMC, the second most-watched cable series debut of all time.
The Breaking Bad spinoff pulled a record 4.4. million viewers in the 18-49 adult demographic. The premiere is outshined only by TNT police drama The Closer, which aired to 7.03 million total viewers in 2005.
Better Call Saul debuted the second half of its premiere Monday, and will air Mondays at 10 p.m. ET. The series takes place six years before the events of Breaking Bad, and follows lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) as he becomes Saul Goodman.
Breaking Bad creator Vince McGill and producer Peter Gould co-created the prequel series. Jonathan Banks and Raymond Cruz returned as Mike Erhmantraut and Tuco Salamanca in the premiere, with Michael Mando as Nacho Varga.
"He's a little different in the sense that he's not hooked on crystal meth," Cruz told The Hollywood Reporter of the younger version of his character. "He was always very ambitious, and you see his strong family ties, how he feels about being protective about his family."
Better Call Saul will also feature Michael McKean as Saul's brother Chuck McGill, Patrick Fabian as Saul's business partner Howard Hamlin and Kim Wexler as Saul's co-worker Kim Wexler. Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston may return as Walter White in future episodes.