The Walking Dead

CHICAGO – With the upcoming second-season premiere of “The Killing” (come back for our review on Sunday, April 1st, 2012), it’s a good time to cram in the first season, recently released on a nice three-disc set from Fox Home Video. With stellar performances, especially from Mireille Enos & Michelle Forbes, and an accomplished sense of atmosphere, this is one of the best shows on TV. The Blu-ray release doesn’t answer questions or criticisms about the controversial season finale, but will allow you to reassess it away from the expectations of a resolution to the mystery of who killed Rosie Larsen.

CHICAGO – If you haven’t heard, “The Walking Dead” is a monster hit. We told you earlier this week that even during the Grammy telecast, the mid-season premiere last Sunday set all kinds of basic-cable telecast records. Now, this Sunday, the ninth episode of the second season of the show will premiere, and one video game has got itself some valuable advertising space.

CHICAGO – Maybe you heard earlier today that the Grammys had between 37 and 38 million people tuning in last night. Well, apparently almost everyone stayed in to watch TV last night. In the middle of the Grammy telecast (between 8 and 9 p.m. CST), the mid-season premiere of season two of “The Walking Dead” premiered on AMC and set basic cable records.

CHICAGO – AMC has finally announced the premiere dates for the fifth season of “Mad Men” and the second season of “The Killing,” while also revealing that the third season of “The Walking Dead,” to air in October 2012, will be three episodes longer (for a total of sixteen).

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico appears on Bill Moller’s program on three Saturdays in December 2011 to take listener calls on the best television programs of the year, including “Boss,” “American Horror Story,” “Falling Skies, “Sons of Anarchy,” “Parenthood,” “Justified,” “Southland,” “Prime Suspect,” “The Middle,” “New Girl,” “Community,” and much more!

CHICAGO – If a group of advertising agents, a chemistry teacher turned meth dealer, and a bunch of survivors fighting zombies weren’t enough success for AMC, they may be able to add railroad worker/cowboys to the list. The new drama series, “Hell on Wheels,” premiered last night to very decent ratings for the basic cable network.

CHICAGO – You can’t say AMC moved at a zombie’s pace to renew its hit drama for a third season. Just two episodes into season 2 of the hit AMC series “The Walking Dead,” and the network has already picked up the show for a third season.

CHICAGO – Zombie skulls were not the only thing being bashed in on this past Sunday evening. Rick didn’t have to use a big rock to knock ratings out of the park, as the second season premiere of “The Walking Dead” brought in a staggering 11 million total viewers for the premiere and the two replays of the episode that followed at 10: 30 and 12 EST. The total was the largest for a drama series in basic cable history.

CHICAGO – The differences between the series premiere and the second-season premiere of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” airing tonight on what has become the most critically-acclaimed network on basic cable, are striking. Frank Darabont brought an old-fashioned horror showman’s sensibility to the first episode, but that season had a different purpose.

CHICAGO – Fans of “The Walking Dead” that have waited for the second season to arrive will be rewarded for their patience with an extra 30 minutes of zombie action in the season two premiere. The second season, which premieres on Sunday October 16, will start off with a 90-minute opener, much like the series did in the first season. Unlike the first season that only aired for six nights, season two will last 13 episodes split into two separate time frames.