In perhaps the most unsurprising announcement ever, AMC has renewed ratings-busting drama “The Walking Dead” for a fifth season.
The drama was last season’s biggest scripted show. And when it returned for its fourth season earlier this month, its premiere episode delivered a whopping 16.1 million viewers with its 9 p.m. airing, with 10.4 million of those among the advertiser-coveted demographic of viewers ages 18 to 49, a new series record.
And it continues to hold its own. So, yeah, AMC wants more zombie action.
AMC President Charlie Collier made sure to boast of the drama’s impressive achievements — and the no-brainer call to renew it — in his statement.
“We are very happy to make what has to be one of the most anticlimactic renewal announcements ever: ‘The Walking Dead’ is renewed for a fifth season,” Collier said.
“This is a show that has erased traditional distinctions between cable and broadcast. Its expanding base of passionate fans has grown every season, most recently — and most notably — with the season four premiere earlier this month, which broke viewership records for the series and became the biggest nonsports telecast in cable history,” Collier said.
Scott Gimple will return as the series show runner, a role the show’s longtime writer took on this season.
It’s all part of AMC’s quest to keep TV zombified. The network also recently announced it is developing a companion series to “The Walking Dead” based on a new story and new characters from “TWD” mastermind Robert Kirkman.
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