The 90-minute premiere of the second season of The Walking Dead set new records for the series and for basic cable with an overnight rating indicating that the show was watched by 7.3 million viewers (11 million counting the repeat showing).  The second season premiere, which is based on Robert Kirkman’s Image comic, posted a 38% increase over the audience for the first season debut last October, and even beat the record-setting final episode of season one, which drew over six million viewers (see “Walking Dead Ratings Tops”).

There are other cable TV dramas that have delivered more overall viewers, but last night’s season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead set a new record for basic cable dramas by delivering 4.2 million viewers in the all-important 18-49 adult demographic.  The first two episodes of The Walking Dead have received generally positive reviews (see “Walking Dead Season 2 Eps Get Solid Review”).