BY JIMMY PIRAINO
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

Have you been feeling down and depressed about the lack of great new zombie movies and shows showing up in today’s media?
Well I have some great news, because a new television show called “The Walking Dead” is here to fill that gaping hole left in your heart, or should I say brains?
Based on the comic book series of the same name, “The Walking Dead,” brought to you by AMC, focuses on the survival of a small group of uninfected humans, brought to gather by chance to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Leading the survivors is Rick Grimes, a police officer from a small town north of Atlanta, GA. While aiding his fellow officers in stopping a car chase, he is hit by a stray bullet in the line of duty. Waking up weeks later, he finds an empty hospital strewn with dead bodies and no signs of life. His one goal is to find his wife and young son, in hopes of surviving the apocalypse with his family.
The comic series was picked up by AMC in 2009 for television production, and was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore. Together, they have led the reader on a dark tale of surviving a zombie apocalypse, and the extent to which the human psyche can handle such a traumatic event. AMC is known for such great programming as “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Rubicon.” They have a great track record with providing viewers with shows that are high in production value and quality of story.
“The Walking Dead” is no different. The special effects and set design are stellar, as is the character development and production value. AMC spared no expense when developing not only the locations, but zombies themselves. The zombies and gore even have viewers cringing at certain moments.
This show is not for the faint of heart by any means. AMC has so far followed the comic series storyline very loyally, and there are no light moments to be found. This television series is very dark and morbid, but with such a strong story and powerful characters, it will no doubt keep viewership up.
The first episode of “The Walking Dead” aired on Halloween, and set new records for AMC and cable television in general. The premiere episode opened with 5.3 million viewers, the highest television viewership of any AMC show ever, and the highest viewership of any show on television this year. AMC has already renewed the series for a second season, and by the time this article goes to print, three episodes of the first season will have aired.
“The Walking Dead” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on AMC