“The Walking Dead” is still going strong, despite much of the show being about rotting corpses. AMC’s hit zombie show has reached a new ratings plateau with the 18-49 age group. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Walking Dead” garnered an average 17.3 million viewers, with 11 million of those viewers being in that coveted 18-49 age group. This is even higher than the show’s ratings record last year, which was 16. 1 million viewers.

This is great news for the series and for the network, which is still in the process of rebuilding its scripted fare. As reported recently, AMC has renounced its focus on unscripted television and cancelled most of their reality programming. The only unscripted programming that was allowed to remain was Kevin Smith’s “Comic Book Men” and “Talking Dead,” hosted by Chris Hardwick.

“The Walking Dead” is also, in many ways, single-handedly buoying AMC in terms of scripted programming. The other two shows AMC is known for, “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men” have either ended or are in its final season.

What do you think about this news? Did you watch the premiere of “The Walking Dead”? Give your opinions in the comments section below.