AMC Renews 'The Walking Dead' for Second Season

Scott Garfield/TWD Productions

The Walking Dead is coming back for a 13-episode second season.

The drama series, toplined by Andrew Lincoln, has broken ratings records, with the show reaching more viewers in the 18-49 demo than any other cable TV show after two episodes.

The Walking Dead's series premiere on Halloween drew 5.3 million total viewers and Sunday's "gutsy" episode took in 4.7 million -- that's an incredibly high retention of a record rating and surely made this pickup an easy decision for AMC.

The show was also pre-sold internationally through Fox International Channels, which is also going to distribute the show's second season.

“The Dead has spread!” said Charlie Collier, President, AMC. “No other cable series has ever attracted as many Adults 18-49 as The Walking Dead. This reaffirms viewers’ hunger for premium television on basic cable. We are so proud to be bringing back The Walking Dead again, across the globe.”

“I wish all programming decisions were no brainers like this one,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, SVP Scripted Programming. “The Walking Dead is a TV masterpiece on so many levels. We want at least 10 seasons, if not more”