'Walking Dead' Season 2 premiere shatters basic cable records

AMC's zombie drama draws 7.3 million viewers overall

Monday, Oct 17, 2011 3:25 PM

Daniel Fienberg

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Zombie fever appears not to have peaked, as AMC's "The Walking Dead" returned on Sunday (October 16) night to record ratings.

The super-sized 90-minute premiere drew a whopping 7.3 million viewers, including an impressive 4.8 million viewers among adults 18-49. That was a solid 38 percent increase over the Season One average in total viewers and a 36 percent increase in the 18-49 demo. "Walking Dead" also pulled in 4.2 million viewers among adults 25-54, a 35 percent increase over last season's average.

Two additional "Walking Dead" airings at 10:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. brought the premiere night cumulative audience to 11 million viewers.

Not surprisingly, AMC execs are pleased.

"'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," blurbs AMC President Charlie Collier. "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. That 'The Walking Dead' is now the most watched drama in the history of basic cable is staggering, just like our zombies."

As Collier states, Sunday's "Walking Dead" premiere drew more 18-49 and 25-54 viewers than any basic cable drama telecast in history, a record that had stood for 10 years. Other than NBC's football telecast, no Sunday night programming, broadcast or cable, could touch the demo numbers for "Walking Dead."

The first season of "Walking Dead" averaged 5.2 million total viewers, including 3.5 million among 18-49, making it then the most watched drama series in basic cable history for the demo.

Join the conversation about the premiere over at Alan Sepinwall's blog post.

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Jim

Daniel is this show any good? Is it more like mad men or the killing?
October 17, 2011 at 3:34PM EST Reply to Comment
- P Yes, it's exactly like Mad Men and The Killing, if they were entirely populated by flesh craving undead.
  October 17, 2011 at 3:39PM EST
- I would say its around 4 steps below Mad Men and 5 steps above The Killing.
  October 17, 2011 at 4:34PM EST
- Sareeta I find it hard the compare any of AMC's new shows to one another since they are all from completely different genres and have completely different styles. I suppose it's more like The Killing since there was a sense of urgency in both The Killing (who killed Rosie?!?!?!) and The Walking Dead (zombiesssss!), whereas Mad Men is slow-moving.
  October 17, 2011 at 6:11PM EST
- @Sareeta, I think it's funny you think a show that spent 5 episodes on a meaningless female circumcision plot has "urgency".
  October 17, 2011 at 6:54PM EST
Andy

It's too bad Breaking Bad doesn't get these kind of numbers.
October 17, 2011 at 3:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- Kelly Yeah, it would be nice.. but at least we are getting an ending. If it go near these kind of numbers, AMC would never let it end, and that wouldn't be a good thing.
  October 17, 2011 at 3:43PM EST
- Sareeta Is it possible that a series like The Walking Dead pays for series like Breaking Bad? The Walking Dead didn't get very much critical praise for season 1, but definitely brought in viewership numbers, whereas Breaking Bad is almost universally loved by critics (and fans), so for that reason it's still on the air.
  October 17, 2011 at 6:13PM EST
- Sareeta - It helps the bottom line, obviously.
  
  And "Walking Dead" got UNIVERSAL raves and critical praise for its pilot and a solid amount of appreciation for the (lackluster) remainder of the season. It's not some sort of critically underappreciated underdog...
  
  -Daniel
  October 17, 2011 at 6:17PM EST
Dave I

Good thing they decided to cut budget this season. And get rid of the first season show runner who happens to have been responsible for all of last season and the first few of this one (including this one that shattered said basic cable records).

-Cheers
October 17, 2011 at 4:29PM EST Reply to Comment
BDUB

Hey Dan,

Do you know what the previous record was (show/numbers)for a basic calble drama telecast? I just want an idea of how awesome these TWD numbers are. Thanks!
October 17, 2011 at 4:41PM EST Reply to Comment
- BDUB *basic cable*
  October 17, 2011 at 4:43PM EST
- Nick According to Deadline, it was apparently the premiere of The Dead Zone on USA in June 2002 (4.0 million in 18-49, 4.1 million in 25-54).
  October 17, 2011 at 5:23PM EST
- BDUB Thanks. Pretty crazy!
  October 17, 2011 at 5:47PM EST
- Thanks for answering, Nick. I was recording the podcast... "The Dead Zone." Don't that beat all?
  
  -Daniel
  October 17, 2011 at 6:13PM EST
sedeyus

So it's beating Mad Men by about five million viewers? Yes, I love Mad Men too, but I've never seen one network ruin itself over one show like AMC's been doing with Mad Men.
October 17, 2011 at 5:29PM EST Reply to Comment
- Sedeyus - You put a lot of stock in things Kurt Sutter tweets, don't you?
  
  -Daniel
  October 17, 2011 at 6:13PM EST
- Daniel, are you feeling suicidal? Because I remember Sutter saying you bloggers are struggling with that. Also, you're overweight, right?
  October 17, 2011 at 6:53PM EST
- Ryan - Sutter exaggerates a little. I think of it as low-grade depression and minor huskiness...
  
  -Daniel
  October 17, 2011 at 7:00PM EST
- Thank goodness.
  October 17, 2011 at 7:16PM EST
- sedeyus Actually none at all, Daniel. The guy always seems like someone I could find screaming at my local supermarket. But on this issue, I think he's right. They chased away Frank Darabont and made the Breaking Bad negotiations much more contentious than they had to be. Now their biggest show by a few million viewers is without its orginal showrunner and has a shoe-string budget.
  October 17, 2011 at 7:27PM EST
- Sedeyus - "Walking Dead" isn't on a shoestring budget. It's on a budget that's *marginally* down from last season's budget. But last season's budgetary figures include the budget for the pilot, which was an EXTREMELY high-budget pilot. That skews the average. And the factors behind Darabont's exit were more than simply "I want more money" "You can't have more money, leave."
  
  I'm feeling too lazy to dig it up, but Vulture had a terrific breakdown explaining pragmatically what's happening at AMC. The bottom line: They're trying to do premium cable drama with a basic cable business model and basic cable revenues and therein lie hefty financial complications, particularly when your shows achieve premium cable level esteem and the creative forces involved start wanting premium cable budgets.
  
  The bottom line, at least in my opinion, is that most of AMC's sins have been sins of ridiculously bad PR and ridiculously inept communication by higher-ups, both with their creative talent and with the press.
  
  "Mad Men"/Weiner may have some culpability, but it's only a small part of it. If AMC's entire business model teeters on $10 million to Matt Weiner, there's a far bigger problem afoot than anything Matt Weiner is responsible for...
  
  -Daniel
  October 17, 2011 at 7:40PM EST
- Artemis Nicely put Daniel. Here's that link: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/08/amc_mad_men_walking_dead_break.html
  
  October 17, 2011 at 8:02PM EST
Kayvan

I like the show, but I hope it gets cancelled just so the President never gets to make another stupid pun like that one.
October 17, 2011 at 7:50PM EST Reply to Comment
- mike there are way too many negative nancie's here-this is the highest rated show in the history of t.v. in its category.
  November 12, 2011 at 7:37AM EST

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'Walking Dead' Season 2 premiere shatters basic cable records

AMC's zombie drama draws 7.3 million viewers overall

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Jim Daniel is this show any good? Is it more like mad men or the killing?

P Yes, it's exactly like Mad Men and The Killing, if they were entirely populated by flesh craving undead.

I would say its around 4 steps below Mad Men and 5 steps above The Killing.

@Sareeta, I think it's funny you think a show that spent 5 episodes on a meaningless female circumcision plot has "urgency".

Andy It's too bad Breaking Bad doesn't get these kind of numbers.

Kelly Yeah, it would be nice.. but at least we are getting an ending. If it go near these kind of numbers, AMC would never let it end, and that wouldn't be a good thing.

Sareeta - It helps the bottom line, obviously. And "Walking Dead" got UNIVERSAL raves and critical praise for its pilot and a solid amount of appreciation for the (lackluster) remainder of the season. It's not some sort of critically underappreciated underdog...-Daniel

Dave I Good thing they decided to cut budget this season. And get rid of the first season show runner who happens to have been responsible for all of last season and the first few of this one (including this one that shattered said basic cable records).-Cheers

BDUB Hey Dan, Do you know what the previous record was (show/numbers)for a basic calble drama telecast? I just want an idea of how awesome these TWD numbers are. Thanks!

BDUB *basic cable*

Nick According to Deadline, it was apparently the premiere of The Dead Zone on USA in June 2002 (4.0 million in 18-49, 4.1 million in 25-54).

BDUB Thanks. Pretty crazy!

Thanks for answering, Nick. I was recording the podcast... "The Dead Zone." Don't that beat all?-Daniel

sedeyus So it's beating Mad Men by about five million viewers? Yes, I love Mad Men too, but I've never seen one network ruin itself over one show like AMC's been doing with Mad Men.

Sedeyus - You put a lot of stock in things Kurt Sutter tweets, don't you?-Daniel

Daniel, are you feeling suicidal? Because I remember Sutter saying you bloggers are struggling with that. Also, you're overweight, right?

Ryan - Sutter exaggerates a little. I think of it as low-grade depression and minor huskiness...-Daniel

Thank goodness.

Artemis Nicely put Daniel. Here's that link: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/08/amc_mad_men_walking_dead_break.html

Kayvan I like the show, but I hope it gets cancelled just so the President never gets to make another stupid pun like that one.

mike there are way too many negative nancie's here-this is the highest rated show in the history of t.v. in its category.

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Jim

Daniel is this show any good? Is it more like mad men or the killing?

Andy

It's too bad Breaking Bad doesn't get these kind of numbers.

Sareeta - It helps the bottom line, obviously.

And "Walking Dead" got UNIVERSAL raves and critical praise for its pilot and a solid amount of appreciation for the (lackluster) remainder of the season. It's not some sort of critically underappreciated underdog...

-Daniel

Dave I

Good thing they decided to cut budget this season. And get rid of the first season show runner who happens to have been responsible for all of last season and the first few of this one (including this one that shattered said basic cable records).

-Cheers

BDUB

Hey Dan,

Do you know what the previous record was (show/numbers)for a basic calble drama telecast? I just want an idea of how awesome these TWD numbers are. Thanks!

BDUB basic cable

Thanks for answering, Nick. I was recording the podcast... "The Dead Zone." Don't that beat all?

-Daniel

sedeyus

So it's beating Mad Men by about five million viewers? Yes, I love Mad Men too, but I've never seen one network ruin itself over one show like AMC's been doing with Mad Men.

Sedeyus - You put a lot of stock in things Kurt Sutter tweets, don't you?

-Daniel

Ryan - Sutter exaggerates a little. I think of it as low-grade depression and minor huskiness...

-Daniel

Kayvan

I like the show, but I hope it gets cancelled just so the President never gets to make another stupid pun like that one.