Audiences certainly weren't fearing Fear The Walking Dead—the AMC drama broke ratings records with its Sunday, Aug. 23 debut. The Walking Dead companion series debuted to more than 10 million viewers in live and same day viewing, shattering previous records. Fear The Walking Dead had 6.3 million adults in the 18-49 demographic. The Walking Dead debuted to 5.4 million viewers in 2010.
The 90-minute premiere episode is now the No.1 series premiere in cable history for total viewers and in all key demos. America loves zombies.
"Thank you and congratulations to Robert Kirkman, Dave Erickson, the brilliant executive producers and the entire cast and crew of Fear The Walking Dead," Charlie Collier, president of AMC and SundanceTV, said in a statement. "It is increasingly difficult to evaluate a show's success on night one. However, we are releasing these live/same day ratings because Fear The Walking Dead delivered record-breaking numbers that are all the more special in this era of time-shifted viewing and audience fragmentation. To have a companion series to the No. 1 show on television driving communal, urgent viewing, social activity and pop cultural relevance of this magnitude is truly differentiating. Of course none of it is possible without the fans, whose passion leads to these remarkable results."
Meanwhile, the Talking Dead preview special of The Walking Dead season 6 had 4.2 million viewers. See, America really loves zombies.
AMC has already renewed the drama for a 15- episode second season. Season one is six episodes. Fear The Walking Dead stars Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Alycia Debnam-Carey and Frank Dillane. While viewers may have flocked to the premiere like a walker horde to a loud sound, that doesn't mean they've forsaken the mothership show. In an E! News poll asking which is better: The Walking Dead or Fear The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead for 91.8 percent of the vote. Fear The Walking Dead got 8.2 percent.
Now the big question: Will audiences remain hungry for more Fear The Walking Dead next week?
Fear The Walking Dead airs Sundays, 9 p.m. on AMC.