Breaking Bad has been a rivetting journey. (AMC)

Phew. That's a giant sigh of relief escaping my lips.

Breaking Bad, undoubtedly one of the finest dramas on television, will be coming back for one final season. The ink has just dried on a deal between AMC and Sony Television to start production on the last 16-episode run early next year.

Four seasons in, the show about the evolution of a high school chemistry teacher into an unlikely crystal meth kingpin has only gained momentum. The season debut this July 18 enjoyed its best ratings ever, and overall the show has 28 per cent more viewers this season than last, according to Nielsen Co.

The air date for the final season hasn't yet been set, but I'm hoping the show doesn't leave fans hanging for an ungodly amount of time - which has happened before. The hiatus between season three and four was actually so long that this year - Breaking Bad didn't meet the requirements of the Primetime Emmy Awards, so no nominations for them.

This must have been music to the ears of Mad Men star Jon Hamm - who for the past three years has walked home empty-handed from the Best Actor in a Drama category, since Breaking Bad genius Bryan Cranston always waltzes away with the hardware. And deservedly so.

Need I remind you of the look on Cranston's face last week (spoiler alert) when he found himself looking at a karaoke video of Gale Boetticher in his brother-in-law's bedroom? DO YOU REMEMBER? Geez. That, my friends, is what brilliant performances are made of. All it takes is one look. And that's why Cranston has nine - count em - NINE movie productions coming out in the next two years.

As for the final episode - I can't wait to see what the writers will do. And I trust them. They're not going to give us an open Sopranos-style closer, or an over-the-top Lost-style ending either. The big question is this - will Walt die by the sword he lived by? I think I know the answer, although I'm going to pretend I don't.

-Arisa Cox