The zombie apocalypse continues to be lucrative for AMC—The Walking Dead season five premiere hit new heights with 17.3 million viewers, the show's highest ratings ever.
AMC's comic book adaptation also pulled in 11 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
Season 5 of The Walking Dead picked up following the events of the season four finale with the gang trapped in Terminus. A bloody and fiery battle ensued and thanks to Carol (Melissa McBride), Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Daryl (Norman Reedus) and the rest of the gang were all reunited.
"It's a Dead man's party. Who could ask for more?" Charlie Collier, AMC president, said in a statement. "Enormous thanks to our friends and executive producers Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, Greg Nicotero—who also directed last night's terrific premiere—Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Alpert and Tom Luse and all of their fellow producers, cast and crew for everything they do to make the #1 show on television such a unique and incredible experience for the fans. The Walking Dead is one of those increasingly rare shows today that can command a live audience not significantly cannibalized by time-shifted viewing. Who would have thought that cannibalized television could be curtailed by cannibal-ized television?"
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ith a lot of red meat and explosions galore, the zombie apocalypse returned to AMC last night bigger than ever. The Season 5 debut of The Walking Dead pulled in 17.3 million total viewers on Sunday at 9 PM with 11 million among adults 18-49. With a rise of 7% and 6%, respectively, that viewership and demo series record chews up the previous high of 16.1 million watching and 10.4 million among the 18-49s that the Season 4 premiere of the blockbuster series drew on October 13 last year. (Watch the first four minutes of last night’s episode here.)
Have they finally moved on from the prison complex? Are they still stuck in the same place? I hate that they stay in one place for an entire season. That's not how you tell a zombie apocalypse story...