‘The Walking Dead’ Returns With Record-Breaking 12.3M Viewers
AMC’s The Walking Dead returned last night from its third-season break with 12.3 million viewers, a series high for the zombie apocalypse drama. Up against the Grammys, the 9 PM midseason premiere pulled in 7.7 million viewers among Adults 18-49, a basic-cable record for a series and up 6% from the show’s previous high for its October 14 season premiere. In total, 16.6 million viewers watched Walking Dead last night combining the 9 PM premiere and 11 PM, midnight and 2 AM encores on AMC. The series was back Sunday for the last eight episodes of its third season after a break of more than two months.
The big numbers Sunday come after a record-breaking third season so far that saw the show pull in a massive 10.9 million Live+Same Day total viewers for its October 14 premiere, which bested all other telecasts cable and broadcast. The Walking Dead’s midseason finale on December 2 garnered 10.5 million viewers in its 9 PM time slot and 15.2 million for the entire night with encores. The Walking Dead’s Season 3 series average in the 18-49 demo is ahead of the averages for big network shows like The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and NCIS.
Walking Dead was renewed for a fourth season late last year. That season is expected to begin in October, according to series executive producer Gale Anne Hurd.
Related stories
‘The Walking Dead’ Midseason Finale Draws 10.5 Million Viewers
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
