The zombie craze continues as AMC's new original series "The Walking Dead" premiered on Halloween night to 5.3 million viewers, breaking records not only for the network, but also becoming the highest-rated cable series to premiere this year in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
Debuting the show on Halloween definitely paid off, as many viewers tuned in seeking a few good scares to celebrate the holiday. Given the strength of the pilot, there's a good chance a large portion of that audience will stick around for the rest of the season.
Photos: World Zombie Invasion Promo Events
In total, over 8 million viewers tuned in Sunday night, including the two re-airings of the pilot at 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. These ratings are well above what AMC critical faves "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" drew on a weekly basis. By comparison, "Mad Men's" season finale last month was watched by 2.44 million people.
Video: Preview for the rest of the season
Earlier this year, the basic cable net also saw conspiracy thriller "Rubicon" debut to strong ratings, before the number of viewers dropped drastically in subsequent weeks, leading many to speculate that the show won't be returning for a second season. AMC is expected to make an official announcement about the show's future in the coming weeks.
Given "The Walking Dead's" zombie-centric premise and built-in fan base, it's doubtful that it'll suffer the same fate, though it may be difficult to match these high numbers.
Based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series by the same name, the show centers around sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and a group of survivors struggling to overcome a zombie apocalypse in the outskirts of Atlanta. The show's creators have stated that fans of the comics will see many parallels between this live-action adaptation and the source material, but there will be some elements that differ and stray further away from the comic books.
"'The Walking Dead' is that rare piece of programming that works on so many levels," said AMC SVP of original programming, production and digital content Joel Stillerman. "It is legitimately great storytelling that is not only highly entertaining, but incredibly thought provoking as well. People who are familiar with the comic books know what's coming, but suffice it to say, this is only the beginning of a long, intense, and powerful ride. Long live 'The Walking Dead.'"
"The Walking Dead" airs at 10/9c on AMC
Source: TV By the Numbers
Related Articles:
AMC releases the trailer for 'The Walking Dead' set to premiere on Halloween night (VIDEO)
'Rubicon' premiere achieves record ratings for AMC
AMC's 'Breaking Bad' not returning for season four until July 2011
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Comments
It's well written, the appeal of Official Zombie Survival Handbook come to life not withstanding, this has believable acting, great dialogue and excellent SFX. Plus the choice of soundtrack music is noteworthy.
Another thing. This has likeable characters and sympathetic situations, something I feel is sadly missing from the last 2 George A Romero Films (Diary/Survival).
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