Corona | Coming Attractions

The first episode of season two of The Walking Dead premiered last night on AMC and the turnout was big. The cable network has issued notice that an impressive number of zombie watchers tuned in: 7.3 million viewers, up 38% from the average number of watchers from season one (5.2 million.)

AMC is spinning The Walking Dead's season premiere as the strongest telecast for any drama in basic cable history, and it is good news for the network. If figures remain high for next week's episode and the next, this is going to be an immensely profitable series for the channel since it's the first series that AMC owns outright.

Two repeat showings of the 90-minute premiere episode brought in another 11 million viewers.

"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. We’re so proud of and grateful for the amazing team on both sides of the camera who works so hard and is so committed to making this a unique programming event," said Charlie Collier, the president of AMC. "That The Walking Dead is now the most watched drama in the history of basic cable is staggering, just like our zombies."

Episode 2 of The Walking Dead's sophomore season airs next week. It's the final one that executive producer/former showrunner Frank Darabont had his hands in.