Eglee, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Darabont assuming the role of showrunner. The season received very positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and received nominations for the 63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in several categories, winning Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special.
The pilot episode received 5.35 million viewers, and the finale garnered six million viewers, including four million viewers among adults ages 18-49, making it the most viewed basic cable drama series at that time. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season consisting of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011. The first season has received largely positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the season holds a score of 82 out of 100, indicating 'universal acclaim', based on 25 critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an 89% with an average rating of 7.49 out of 10, based on 24 reviews, and an average episode score of 87%. The site's critical consensus reads: 'Blood-spattered, emotionally resonant, and white-knuckle intense, The Walking Dead puts an intelligent spin on the overcrowded zombie subgenre.'