It was earlier on Halloween that I realized how huge The Walking Dead was going to be. Nearly a half dozen times while trick or treating with the kids did someone bring up the show, people who rightfully never should have even heard about it. My grandma ran off on us at night because she didn’t want to miss it. (To be fair, she’s a fan of Shaun of the Dead and a few others. She’s a good’un.) But truly, it’s about time for zombies to shine in the mainstream.
The ratings are in for The Walking Dead and they’re absolutely massive. Here are the stats direct from AMC.
5.3 Million Viewers.
3.7 HH rating for 10PM airing, cumed to 6.0 with 11:30 and 1:00 airings. (Meaning 6% of households watched it.)
Largest audience for any premiere in AMC’s history.
Largest audience for any cable series premiere in 2010 in the 18-49 demo.
Can we say that it’s pretty goddamn safe that we’re going to be getting a second season? Perhaps Darabont will relive his dreams (and perhaps a few bouts of deja vu) of getting to that prison after all.
“It’s a good day to be dead. We are so proud of this series, its depth of storytelling and the remarkable talent attached,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s president. “As the network dedicated to bringing viewers the best stories on television, we are so pleased to have the opportunity with ‘The Walking Dead’ to raise the bar within this popular genre and continue our commitment to being the home of premium television on basic cable.”
Right about now I suggest you head on over to the blog of Bear McCreary, who did the music for the show. You might not know his name but you’re familiar with his work- he did Battlestar Galactica and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, just to name a couple. He’s got a great deconstruction of each piece of music from the first episode of The Walking Dead up there. There may be just scant amount of it in the show so far but what’s there is meaningful and powerful. Love that theme song.