AMC has renewed "The Walking Dead" for a 13-episode second season.

Premiering Halloween night, the zombie series broke ratings records, reaching more adults 18 to 49 than any other show in the history of cable television.

The pilot, "Days Gone Bye," attracted 3.6 million adults 18-49, 3.1 million adults 25-54 and 2 million men 18-49. "Guts," Episode 2, aired Nov. 7, and attracted 3.3 million adults 18-49, 2.8 million adults 25-54 and 2.1 million men 18-49.

"The dead has spread!" said Charlie Collier, AMC president. "This reaffirms viewers' hunger for premium television on basic cable. We are so proud to be bringing back 'The Dead' again, across the globe."

In addition, Fox International Channels is moving forward with a global renewal for a second season, following record-breaking premiere ratings in 120 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.

"I wish all programming decisions were no brainers like this one," said Sharon Tal Yguado, senior vice president of scripted programming for Fox International Channels. "'The Walking Dead' is a TV masterpiece on so many levels. We want at least 10 seasons, if not more. Kudos to AMC!"

Based on Robert Kirkman's acclaimed comic, the tragic tale follows a police officer from a small Kentucky town who leads his family and a group of survivors across the country in search of a safe home.

Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") wrote and directed the pilot, with Gale Anne Hurd ("Aliens," "The Terminator") of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion executive producing along with Darabont and Kirkman.

The series stars Andrew Lincoln ("Love, Actually," "Teachers"), Emma Bell ("Frozen"), Jon Bernthal ("The Pacific," "The Ghost Writer"), Steven Yeun, Sarah Wayne Callies ("Prison Break"), Chandler Riggs ("Get Low"), Jeffrey DeMunn ("The Green Mile") and Laurie Holden ("Shield").

See our review of the pilot here.