Negotiations with series maker Sony Television had reportedly been tense, with Sony even contacting other networks to see if they'd be interested in picking up the show if AMC bowed out. The cable network, with another costly and popular series in "Mad Men," was looking to keep expenses down and had been seeking a shorter run of episodes.
The series premiered in January 2008.
"Breaking Bad," the ever-darkening story of a high school chemistry teacher turned hard-core meth dealer, has been renewed for one last season on AMC.
AMC said Sunday night that a final run of 16 episodes will start filming early next year. The darkest character, meth cooker Walter White, has won three best-actor Emmys for actor Bryan Cranston, and Walter has become even more intense and desperate in the fourth season that launched July 18.
After almost losing one of its signature shows, cable network AMC has signed a new deal for 16 episodes to keep its critically acclaimed "Breaking Bad."
Talks got so bad that Sony actually shopped the show to other cable networks including News Corp.'s FX.
One of the issues over the show was costs and how many episodes would be produced for the final season. Although AMC has ordered 16 episodes, it is not likely it will air the episodes as one season. The fourth season is currently underway.
AMC did not bring "Mad Men" back this year, choosing instead to start the next season in early 2012.
AMC premiered the new series "The Killing" this year and brought back "Breaking Bad." AMC executives have denied that its lucrative deal for "Mad Men" showrunner Matt Weiner to stay on that show for a few more seasons is the cause of the financial issues at the other shows. However, AMC, a unit of AMC Networks, has declined to elaborate on why Darabont left "The Walking Dead" or what the issues were in cutting a new deal for "Breaking Bad."