Fear the Walking Dead is the highest-rated first season of any cable series

By Chris Leo Palermino Published October 9, 2015

Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead prequel that ended its first season last week, comprised just six episodes but nevertheless has taken the title for highest-rated first season of any cable series. The first season averaged 11.2 million viewers: 7.3 million adults 18-49 and 7.2 million adults 25-53 in live+3, according to AMC. This past Sunday’s season finale captured 10.1 million viewers, despite competition from NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

“When we set out to launch a companion series to the No. 1 show on television, there were truly many things to fear, beyond Fear itself,” said AMC president Charlie Collier in a statement. “To see this show stand alone, break through and set records as a unique piece of storytelling is very gratifying and a tribute to great creative talent.”

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Only Fox’s hip-hop drama Empire, which debuted in January (and followed up with a second season this fall), had higher viewership numbers for a debut series in 2015, according to Variety. And that show, whose first season was the only season in TV history to increase in ratings for nine consecutive weeks, was quite the force this year.

Fear the Walking Dead, of course, had an advantage over other new series in that many Walking Dead fans also watched the offshoot. The Walking Dead, which begins its sixth season on Sunday, drew a massive 15.8 million viewers in its season five finale earlier this year. Following that kind season final, it’s not too surprising that the prequel series premiere — and now the entire first season — have also broken viewership records for a new series.

AMC also noted that Talking Dead, the Chris Hardwick-hosted Walking Dead aftershow, will return for its second season after each episode of Fear of the Walking Dead season two, which debuts in 2016.

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Chris Leo Palermino

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…

Entertainment

Tales of the Walking Dead is a refreshing take for the zombie franchise

Alpha/Dee and Lydia covered in blood in a scene from Tales of the Walking Dead.

As the original The Walking Dead series gears up for its 11th and final season commencing October 2, fans have been inundated with announcements of new and upcoming spinoffs to keep the franchise alive. The most recent is the six-episode anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead. What’s most surprising about this series, which aired its six-episode first season on AMC in mid-August through to late September, is that, unlike others such as Fear the Walking Dead and Walking Dead: World Beyond, you don’t need to watch the original to truly appreciate the show and understand what’s going on. These are standalone, compartmentalized stories with no continuity or crossovers with the original beyond the dystopian state of the world…and the team behind it.

Like the other Walking Dead series, the undead roam the streets, looking to satiate their voracious appetites for human flesh. But the characters and stories are completely unique not only from the main show, but from one another as well. Each episode has its own distinct look and feel, fitting into different genres that will make you laugh, cry, wince, and jump out of your seat. Since there are no connections, you can watch them in any order as well.
Multiple genres are explored
Tales of the Walking Dead Season 1 Comic-Con Trailer

Entertainment

Tales of the Walking Dead trailer shows new zombie adventures

Two women stand on an overpass and watch zombies walk towards them in a scene from Tales of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead franchise is adding more zombie adventures to its universe with the addition of Tales of the Walking Dead, the new spinoff series set to premiere on AMC and AMC+. Scott M. Gimple, a co-creator of Tales, shared the first trailer from the spinoff in front of the lively crowd at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. Also on hand for the announcement were showrunner/executive producer Channing Powell, director/executive producer Michael Satrazemis, and some cast members, including Terry Crews and Samantha Morton.

Tales of the Walking Dead will be a six-episode anthology series that features a standalone story in each episode. New and established characters in The Walking Dead universe will be featured throughout each episode. The tagline reads, "Six New Stories. One Dead World." The footage highlights all six stories in different settings as the characters all try to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Entertainment

AMC lines up a new Walking Dead spinoff for Negan and Maggie

Negan and Maggie in The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead will come to an end after 11 seasons later this year. However, two of the primary leads will live on. AMC has announced a new Walking Dead spinoff, The Walking Dead: Isle of the Dead, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan reprising their respective roles as Negan and Maggie.

However, Maggie and Negan don't exactly have a close relationship on the show. Warning, spoilers follow: The first time they met, Negan murdered Maggie's husband, Glenn. In recent seasons, Negan has reformed and aligned himself with the survivors at Alexandria. Naturally, Maggie has never forgiven Negan, but they have been able to work together on occasion. In Isle of the Dead, the unlikely duo will go someplace where TWD hasn't explored before: New York City.