‘Walking Dead’ Renewed For Season 5

Happy (early) Halloween! AMC has officially renewed “The Walking Dead” for a fifth season … even though season 4 is only three episodes deep.

The network made the announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 29, with the following statement:

“We are very happy to make what has to be one of the most anti-climactic renewal announcements ever: The Walking Dead is renewed for a fifth season,” said Charlie Collier, AMC president. “This is a show that has erased traditional distinctions between cable and broadcast. Its expanding base of passionate fans has grown every season, most recently – and most notably – with the season four premiere earlier this month, which broke viewership records for the series and became the biggest non-sports telecast in cable history. On behalf of the incredible team on both sides of the camera, thank you to the fans and here’s to more Dead.”

Fans of the zombie series will remember that the season 4 premiere broke a new record when it aired on Sunday, Oct. 13. The series garnered 20.2 million viewers and 13.2 million from adults 18-49. The numbers for the season 4 premiere, “30 Days Without An Accident,” set a new record for any non-sports cable telecast.

The season 5 renewal for “The Walking Dead” comes a couple weeks after AMC announced that the show will get a spinoff series in 2015.

"After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn't be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of the 'Walking Dead' universe," comic and show creator Robert Kirkman said in a statement.

You can watch new episodes of “The Walking Dead” on AMC on Sundays at 9 p.m.