AMC renews The Walking Dead for Season 6
David Farnor | On 08, Oct 2014
AMC has announced that The Walking Dead will return for a sixth season – before Season 5 has already started.
The show premieres in the US on Sunday 12th October and will be available to watch online in the UK within 24 hours. The show, which premieres on FOX UK at 9pm, will be available to watch live online on NOW with an Entertainment Membership, which costs £4.99 a month. The pass, which will increase in price to £6.99 from Thursday 16th October, allows you watch Sky TV channels online and also catch up on-demand, including (from Tuesday 14th October) The Knick, The Blacklist Season 2, The Leftovers and the final season of Boardwalk Empire.
AMC’s decision to renew the season ahead of its latest premiere isn’t uncommon in the modern TV age – Netflix, for example, renewed Orange Is the New Black for a third season before Season 2 arrived. Indeed, with social media backing up viewing figures, it’s easier to determine audience demand for more episodes of a show. While the Season 4 finale set a record of 15.7 million viewers, for example, AMC also reports that in the weeks leading up to this weekend’s premiere, the show has been number one in digital engagement of all returning fall cable series (as measured by ListenFirst). The Walking Dead’s social media following and fan engagement are at an all-time high, with more than 30 million Facebook fans and 2.7 million Twitter followers, while video views of scenes and trailers for the upcoming season are well outpacing last year’s results.
Such is the interest in the zombie series that AMC also recently announced it ordered a pilot for a potential spin-off show, based on a new story and new characters from Robert Kirkman. Kirkman will return as executive producer for Season 6, along with Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse, while Scott M. Gimple will reprise his role as showrunner.
“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of The Walking Dead with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier.
“In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”
Not up to date with The Walking Dead? See Where can I watch The Walking Dead online legally in the UK?