AMC Renews THE WALKING DEAD for an Eighth Season

2016/10/17 04:33:03 +00:00 | Derek Anderson

*Update with the official press release.* With its season 7 premiere one week away, The Walking Dead has already been renewed by AMC for an eighth season.

Press Release: NEW YORK, NY, October 16, 2016 – Days before the highly anticipated season seven premiere of “The Walking Dead,” AMC announced that the series, the #1 show on television among adults 18-49 for the last four years, had been renewed for an eighth season, premiering in late-2017 and kicking off with the 100th episode of the franchise. All 16 episodes of “The Walking Dead” season eight will be followed by “Talking Dead,” the live aftershow hosted by Chris Hardwick, which is the highest-rated talk show on television and #2 show on cable, behind “The Walking Dead.”

The season eight renewal was announced through a special on-screen message at the beginning of tonight’s two-hour retrospective special, “The Walking Dead: The Journey So Far.” The seventh season of “The Walking Dead” premieres next Sunday at 9 p.m., followed by an expanded 90-minute episode of Talking Dead live from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, featuring Hardwick, the cast members in Negan’s line-up, and Lucille.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, more,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “What a joy to partner with Robert Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple and some of the hardest-working people in television to bring ‘The Walking Dead’ to the fans. And, most important, thanks to those fans for breathing life into this remarkable series right along with us.”

An AMC Studios production, “The Walking Dead” is executive produced by Gimple, Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, and Tom Luse.

About AMC

AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with “Mad Men” in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before “Breaking Bad” won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series “The Walking Dead” is the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last four years. AMC’s other current original drama series include “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “Turn: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands,” “The Night Manager,” “Preacher,” and the forthcoming “The Son,” “The Terror” and “Lodge 49.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men,” “Ride with Norman Reedus” and “The American West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.

Previously: To kick off their special retrospective, The Walking Dead: The Journey So Far, AMC revealed that The Walking Dead has been renewed for an eighth season, with Talking Dead also confirmed to return next year, as reported by EW and other outlets

The eighth season is expected to begin next year (likely in October) with the series' 100th episode. Fans can likely look forward to a 16-episode season, although full details on the eighth season have yet to be announced. According to EW, current showrunner Scott Gimple is set to continue in his current position for the eighth season.

The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere episode airs on AMC this Sunday, October 23rd at 9:00pm ET. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates on The Walking Dead, and in case you missed it, check out our previous season 7 coverage: