AMC's The Walking Dead Terrorizes Record-Setting Audience

AMC's The Walking Dead Terrorizes Record-Setting Audience

Courtesy of Diamond Comics

The 90-minute, Halloween premiere of AMC's first episode of The Walking Dead, "Days Gone Bye," captured 5.3 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Encore airings brought in another 2.8 million viewers, bringing the overall ratings number to 8.1 million. That impressive tally not only makes this AMC's most-watched TV series debut, but also set the record for the largest audience for a series premiere on any basic cable network in 2010.

"'It’s a good day to be dead. We are so proud of this series, its depth of storytelling and the remarkable talent attached,' Charlie Collier, AMC’s president, told The Hollywood Reporter. 'As the network dedicated to bringing viewers the best stories on television, we are so pleased to have the opportunity withThe Walking Dead to raise the bar within this popular genre and continue our commitment to being the home of premium television on basic cable.'"