'Breaking Bad' Is Bigger Than Ever

Today in show business news: AMC has a hit on its hands just before the show ends, HBO awaits the Rapture, and we have a new Little Red Riding Hood.

Today in show business news: AMC has a hit on its hands just before the show ends, HBO awaits the Rapture, and we have a new Little Red Riding Hood.

Last night's nerve-jangling, gut-punching, thoroughly "holy sh-t" episode of Breaking Bad was watched by more people than any other Breaking Bad episode ever. A boffo 6.4 million people tuned in to the broadcast, which is a little fewer people than live in all of Massachusetts. The sixth season of the show has been up crazy percentage points from the previous season, which is great news for everyone involved, but doesn't really help AMC much, does it? The show's ending in two episodes, after all. Why couldn't it have gotten big in the second season? Or the first?? Damn these slow-burn shows like this. Oh well. It's still an accomplishment. Must be kind of annoying for the ad sales department, though. [The Wrap]

HBO is the latest network to get into the post-apocalypse game. The premium network has ordered Damon Lindelof's post-Rapture pilot The Leftovers to series. The show, based on Tom Perrotta's novel, stars Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Christopher Eccleston, Ann Dowd, and Teen Wolf twins Charlie and Max Carver as a bunch of sadsacks who didn't get Raptured with everyone else. So they're just stuck on Earth, hanging out. HBO ordered ten episodes, but the air date hasn't been set yet. So that should be interesting, yes? That's a pretty good cast. It's an eclectic group, to be sure, but it's an eclectic show. But speaking of people left behind, how do we think Jennifer Aniston is going to deal with Justin being so busy with work now? "You're supposed to be home when I get home," she says plaintively. Justin says, "I know, I know. I know the deal. But... This sounds fun. Please?" And Jennifer sighs and says, "OK. Fine. But go get me a glass of wine." And so he does. [Deadline]

An Into the Woods casting shakeup. Though it was announced a little while back that tiny YouTube singing sensation Sophia Grace Brownlee would be playing the role of Little Red Riding Hood in Rob Marshall's perhaps ill-advised film version of the Sondheim musical, the part will actually be played by Lilla Crawford. Crawford most recently played Annie in last year's revival of Annie Get Your Gun. I wonder what happened! Some child star backstage drama, that's for sure. Imagine telling a small child that they can no longer play Little Red Riding Hood in a fairy tale musical that has Johnny Depp in it. "Sweetie I know we said you could sing with Willy Wonka, but actually, no, sorry." Brutal! What a brutal business. Brownlee might ultimately be better off, though. This movie is worrisome. [Playbill]

Lifetime is trying its hand at dystopian television too. The network has ordered a drama called The Lottery, about a "future when women have stopped having children." If that sounds kind of familiar, it should. The series is written by Timothy J. Sexton, one of the credited writers on the film adaptation of P.D. James's novel The Children of Men, which is basically about the same thing. So this is a subject he's pretty into! The tweak to The Lottery is that 100 embryos are fertilized somehow and there's a lottery to see who gets to carry the babies. So it's women fighting over who gets to have a baby. Dang it, Lifetime! You might have dressed it all up in sci-fi and whatnot, but you're still making a show about women fighting and about babies! Crafty, crafty people, those Lifetime execs. Craftiest around. [The Wrap]

Because you people keep going to them, there is going to be a third Insidious movie. This one will be set in the Wild West and will feature Mary Steenburgen. No, just kidding, but it is going to have Sean Connery as Insidious's dad. (Insidious is a character in the movies, right?) Also they'll be in Tokyo and Sofia Coppolla is going to get shot in it. But other than that, it's going to be the same old Insidious that you know and love for some reason. Enjoy! [The Hollywood Reporter]