During the offseason of The Walking Dead things got interesting. With Glen Mazzara replacing Frank Darabont as the showrunner for the AMC series, plus cutting costs in production for the second season, you would think that would be a step back for the breakout hit of 2010.
Nope.
In fact, the turmoil did little to slow down ratings for The Walking Dead. Its second season began Sunday night and already the numbers are unbelievable.
4.8 Million viewers in Adults 18-49
4.2 Million viewers in Adults 25-54
7.3 Million total viewers for premiere
11 Million total viewers for the night
The 18-49 and 25-54 numbers bettered the premiere of USA Network’s The Dead Zone back in June 2002 (4.0 million in 18-49, 4.1 million in 25-54). Compared to last season’s premiere Dead saw its total viewers increase by 1.2 million, a 38% increase.
“The Walking Dead is one of those rare television programs that reaches both a core genre fan as well as broad audiences simply looking for a great, character-based story,” said AMC president Charlie Collier.
Translation: The Walking Dead gets picked up for a third season in 3…2…
