The zombie killing series is back, and it's getting uglier and uglier-but not the ratings.
The show has delved beyond the gruesome eating habits of the dead and viewers are beginning to question the civility and morality of the remaining survivors-a theme that's markedly planted in the heart of the show.
Now AMC will be breaking out eight new episodes of the Emmy award-winning series Sunday nights at 9 p.m. EST. The ninth episode of the expected 16, reeled in 12.3 million viewers beating their own previous record for a cable show. The previous record was the Season 3 premiere in October, which brought in 10.9 million viewers.
According to Nielson, out of the 12.3 million viewership on Sunday, 7.7 million of the viewers on were prominently in the youthful demographic, between the ages 18 to 49. It's the first cable series to reach a large audience within that age group. Not to mention the Grammy's were aired at the same time.
The mid-season premiere, titled "The Suicide King" had an additional 4.3 million viewers with the encore repeat-bringing the total to 16.6 million. In addition, Chris Hardwick's "Talking Dead" follow-up show brought in 4.1 million viewers between 10 to 11 p.m.
"Talking Dead" is a live talk show that invites guests, cast members, celebrities and production crews to engage and comment on the episodes aired.
On the night following the show's premiere, Kevin Smith from "Comic Book Men" and Steven Yeun, also known as "Glenn" from the show made guest appearances on "Talking Dead." Hardwick poses questions to his guests to get really into the minds of the characters.
"The Walking Dead" season finale will air March 31, while the Season 4 premiere is expected to run in October.
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