Following a killer marketing campaign, not to mention a level of online buzz traditionally reserved for shows with the words “Whedon” above the title, last night’s series premiere of THE WALKING DEAD netted AMC a whopping 5.3 million viewers, 3.3 million of which were adults in the prized 18-49 demographic. Numbers, which as The Live Feed pointed out are not only the highest for any series in AMC history, but the largest demo audience for any series premiere on any cable network this year.
“It’s a good day to be dead,” said AMC president Charlie Collier in a statement. “We are so proud of this series, its depth of storytelling and the remarkable talent attached. 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.”
In related news, what it may not be a good day for is to be one of the non-zombified brains behind RUBICON, MAD MEN and BREAKING BAD. Three critically acclaimed, albeit ratings challenged shows that just saw the bar raised substantially come next year. We’re just sayin’ 
