The series premiered Halloween night as an instant hit, drawing 5.3 million viewers. The second episode, which aired Sunday, was seen by 4.7 million viewers.
Set in the Atlanta area, "The Walking Dead" stars Andrew Lincoln as a small-town police officer leading a group of survivors after a zombie apocalypse. It is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman.
"The Walking Dead" takes its place as AMC's fourth original drama series, joining veteran dramas "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." The fate of "Rubicon," which recently concluded its first season, remains unclear.
AMC is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.
