Photo of Cliff Curtis and Kim Dickens in 'Fear the Walking Dead' premiere, by Justin Lubin/AMC
Sunday's 90-minute premiere of Fear the Walking Dead, the prequel to AMC's The Walking Dead, launched to a record-setting 10.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen's next-day estimates.
That tally makes it the highest series premiere in cable history, with 6.3 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic also surpassing fellow AMC drama Better Call Saul's 4.4 million record in the demo from earlier this year.
As we previously reported, Fear has already been renewed for a second season starting next year. Its first season will consist of only six episodes leading to the premiere of the flagship series on Oct. 11.
It's worth noting the original Dead tends to see a spike in eyeballs in delayed viewing, suggesting the total could still increase significantly, as final numbers including live+3 day DVR viewership are expected on Friday.