Let me start out by saying that I am a squeamish person and am not a fan of the horror genre at all. I’ve been watching Walking Dead on AMC, though, and cannot get enough of that show. It’s a gritty, compelling drama about a group of survivors after a zombie apocalypse. The special effects can be incredibly gruesome to the point where I cover the screen or my eyes. The performances and story are so well done that it’s worth it to me to watch this excellent show, even if I end up unable to sleep afterwards. It stars lovely British actor Andrew Lincoln as the sheriff’s deputy protagonist, and you might know him from Love, Actually as the guy who fell in love with Keira Knightley’s character. The show is based on a weekly comic book series of the same name that first came out in 2003.

Mild spoilers for past episodes below
On Sunday, episode three aired and we got to know the characters at the survivor’s camp. There was a kind of “Lost” feel to last week’s show in terms of the small community.The plot didn’t seem as tight this week in that they glossed over some important details, but overall this is an incredible show that has a movie feel to it. It’s developed by the director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, Frank Darabont.

Anyway I was recently dismayed to learn that there are only six episodes this entire season, meaning that we have just three more to look forward to. The next season of Walking Dead isn’t coming out until next October! In the interim I’ll be able to go out in public without imagining that crowds are zombies, at least. (Does this happen to anyone else who watches the show?) What’s more is that Breaking Bad isn’t coming back until the damn summer!

Exclu: Most Walking Dead fans know there’s only six episodes in this first season. I know, the season is half finished even though it feels like it’s just getting started.

But here’s what you didn’t know, or perhaps only feared: Sources say AMC isn’t likely to launch the 13-episode second season until next October.

The reason? Fearfest. AMC’s annual horror movie marathon served as a perfect promotional platform to ramp up interest for The Walking Dead, which also took advantage of the higher audience levels during the fall (something not all cable shows can pull off given the barrage of broadcast shows airing at the same time — which is why most cable dramas run during the summer).

Plus, AMC has already pushed Breaking Bad from March to the summer, and has Mad Men airing in the summer as usual, and at some point has to squeeze in the premiere of its new original series, The Killing. Combined with Walking Dead, that’s four shows to air next year, the most the network has ever had, and cable networks tend to spread out their premieres so they can properly promote each one.

Now, the October plan is not final, and there probably won’t be a firm premiere date for awhile — heck, the second season hasn’t even started production yet. But the current strategy is for another October roll out.

Some silver lining: Frank Darabont is expected to write and direct another episode next year.

[From Hollywood Reporter]

Note to AMC: You have to give us more of what we love before you can spring new shows on us. Who am I kidding? I love AMC shows so much that I’ll watch this new show and probably get into it too.

If you’d like to watch Walking Dead, you can see the first episode for free on Hulu if you’re in the US. All episodes are available on iTunes.

Here’s the trailer: