The Walking Dead Returns with Record-Breaking Premiere


Last night, The Walking Dead proved it’s still very much alive as the first episode of its fifth season was watched by some 17 million people. That figure marks the largest audience for a non-sporting cable broadcast in the history of US television, breaking the series’ previous high of 16.1 million set by the opener of its fourth season.

Loosely adapted from a cult comic book created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, the series a band of survivors attempting to live their lives in a largely zombified world. High levels of gore and violence haven’t deterred viewers, with the constant threat of much-loved characters being killed off making every single instalment a must-watch.

It seems that series’ popularity is at an all-time high, and broadcasters AMC are looking to run with that. A sixth series was commissioned a week before the premiere aired, and a spin-off is said to be in the works. All in all, the Dead are living good, and as with any hit television show there’s always plenty of response to it on Twitter — especially for a big episode such as this. Here’s what Twitter had to say about last night’s season opener.

No stranger to the dead, cult actor Bruce Campbell might just be hinting at a return to the Evil Dead franchise with his tweet… Or he might just be a fan of the show. Either way, he certainly wasn’t the only famous face who was glued to their screen last night.

One of the major talking points of last night’s episode was a particular firecracker; if you’ve seen it, you’ll know what happened, otherwise perhaps go and catch up right now.

https://twitter.com/QuentinJDesign/status/521541494889779200

What’s a television show about zombies without a few moments to test the limits of plausibility, eh? It’s interesting to note that the comic book that the TV series is based on actually goes much further into the realms of madness with its goings-on — much of which perhaps would struggle to transfer to the screen.

However, it has to be said that the formula that The Walking Dead is using is working for it. It’s not just the huge audiences that it attracts, people love this show. When it debuted on Halloween 2010, it showed a lot of promise, but production difficulties over the course of the first couple of seasons gave it a bit of a shaky start. However, somewhere around Season 3 it really began to hit its stride and become the juggernaut that it is today. Bolstered by the success of network AMC thanks to hits like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead has taken its place as one of the biggest TV shows of all time — and it’s difficult to say that it’s not well deserved.

https://twitter.com/Daryl_DixonTWD3/status/521977501103718400

What did you think of last night’s episode of The Walking Dead? Will Season 5 be its best yet? Let us know in the comments section below, or get in touch on Twitter via @socialnewsdaily.


Magui Sandjou

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