It's no record, but these numbers are certainly nothing to sneeze at. And if you do sneeze, please cover your mouth lest you start the zombie apocalypse.
The midseason finale of The Walking Dead brought in 12.1 million viewers, with 7.7 million falling in the coveted 18-49 age bracket. Sounds like two big deaths were more than enough of a draw for fans, just not quite the draw the season-four premiere brought in.
The AMC zombie hit opened up the season with a record-shattering 16.1 million viewers, making it the highest-rated episode in Walking Dead history. And even though Sunday's episode didn't break records, it was still a 15 percent increase from the season three midseason finale.
Fans clamoring for more of the zombie hit's thrills and kills won't have to wait too long for the series' return; The Walking Dead resumes its fourth season run on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Southland star Michael Cudlitz will make his debut on the series as Abraham, "a massively important" character from The Walking Dead comics. Our sources tell us AMC fought super-hard to land the actor for the role, saying the network thought he was "perfect" and assuring us he "will not disappoint."
And star Andrew Lincoln recently teased that the pace will definitely pick up when it returns, saying, the remaining episodes are "the boldest, bravest and most exciting this show has ever attempted."