'Walking Dead' Record: Staggering Viewer Ratings For Zombie Outbreak Drama

‘Walking Dead’ Record set by post-hiatus episode. The return of The Walking Dead on Sunday had been eagerly awaited and resulted in record breaking ratings for the zombie outbreak TV show. The third series of the show had been on hiatus but according to CBS News, came back with a bang, beating even its series debut ratings back in October.

The Nielsen Co., who monitor TV viewer numbers in the US revealed that Sunday’s show attracted a fantastic total of 12.3 million viewers. the best part of the news for AMC, who air the series, is that 7.7 million were part of that lucrative 18 – 49 demographic. According to Nielsen, a cable series has never drawn such a huge audience in that age group. When the series opened in October, it attracted a record 10.9 million viewers but it appears that absence really does make the heart grow fonder, when it comes to hip young zombie fans, who tuned in in their droves to find out what happened next.

The previous week, NCIS had been the most popular drama on air, with an impressive 22 million viewers, though fewer than 5 million wee in that all-important under-50 age group. The Walking Dead airs again on Sunday at 9pm, ET on AMC. The series has already won two Emmy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for best television series. 

The Walking Dead cast