'The Walking Dead' Renewed for Eighth Season

Photo of Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Walking Dead, by Gene Page

A week before the premiere of its seventh season, AMC has given its marquee title The Walking Dead an early renewal.

The network confirmed Sunday night the zombie juggernaut will indeed return next year for an eighth season, which will premiere next fall starting with its landmark 100th episode. Its after-show Talking Dead will also return.

The news came as AMC began a two-hour retrospective special tonight, which is intended to help fans get caught up on past and current storylines ahead of next week's season seven premiere.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, more,” AMC president Charlie Collier said tonight in a statement, nodding to the show's new villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). “What a joy to partner with Robert Kirkman, Scott 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.”

The Walking Dead's seventh season premieres on Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. EST, followed by a 90-minute Talking Dead.