The season premiere of “The Walking Dead” drew a staggering 11 million viewers Sunday night.
The episode ranked as the biggest telecast ever for a drama on basic cable.
“The Walking Dead” beat its own previous record of 9 million, set in the finale last season.
The series beat every other show on TV Sunday night except for the NFL game on NBC — a huge milestone for a cable drama.
Because of a carriage dispute with AMC, Dish Network did not carry the show or the numbers would have been higher.
A streaming Web site set up by AMC for Dish customers reportedly crashed from the extra traffic.