The Walking Dead- Days Gone Bye

I finally watched the pilot of AMC's The Walking Dead this morning. And I am incredibly impressed. It felt like I was watching way more than just television. The show has a very cinematic quality, probably due to the directing of Frank Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile). It also comes off as more than just a show about zombies; adding in all of the emotional story lines about people surviving in a post-apocalyptic world will help garner more of an audience than just zombie fans. 

I've seen a considerable amount of discussion comparing this series to LOST, in the appeal of the story structure and writing. I think this is justified comparison; I can see this show gaining a LOST-type loyal audience. 

The pilot fared really well in ratings, especially since it was competing with the World Series, and the fact that it premiered on Halloween (which also probably helped it...). It premiered at number 3 for cable viewing for the week. It scored a 3.7 HH rating, with 5.3 million viewers, making it AMC's highest original series premiere, and the highest premiere for any cable show this year. The series has been highly critically acclaimed, and will hopefully continue to do well. TV By the Numbers says "it could go down nearly two full ratings points with adults 18-49 and still be AMC’s best-rated show."