TV ratings record | experience it all.

The highly anticipated season 4 premiere of The Walking Dead airs tonight, Sunday, October 13 at 9PM on AMC. When we last saw our band of survivors they let into the prison the straggling strangers from the defeated Woodbury. Trailers tease a mysterious danger from within that’s “not really walkers and it’s not other people.” Whatever it is, will it drive Rick and company out of their safe haven as alluded to in the prison break-out poster pictured above?

The premiere is called “30 Days Without An Accident” and its written by new showrunner Scott M. Gimple and directed by special effects specialist and executive producer Greg Nicotero. Following the episode is the return of Chris Hardwick’s after-show Talking Dead with special guests Gimple and Castle‘s Nathan Fillion.

Update (10/14): Another Walking Dead premiere, another series high ratings record. 16.1 million viewers tuned into the season 4 premiere last night; 10.4 million of them fall into the coveted adults aged 18-49 demographic. TWD reigns as the #1 show on TV in that demo. AMC proposes that after factoring in time-shifted playback (DVR, etc.), last night’s premiere should exceed 20 million viewers. The previously most-watched episode was the season 3 finale which attracted 12.4 million viewers, 8.1 million of which fell into the 18-49 demo. In other words, the Dead continue to rise…exponentially. Talking Dead also saw big gains; it too debuted to its biggest numbers with 5.1 million viewers, including 3.3 million in the 18-49 demo.

AMC President Charlie Collier commented on the expected yet still exciting news, as he does. “Sincere thanks to the fans, who have welcomed The Walking Dead back for its fourth season with the highest-rated episode in the show’s history. We could not be more proud of this show and everyone on both sides of the camera who work so hard to give life to this story of character, leadership and survival. It starts with series creator, writer and executive producer Robert Kirkman, show runner and executive producer Scott Gimple and the director of last night’s episode (and the man behind the make-up) executive producer Greg Nicotero, their fellow executive producers and an extraordinary cast and crew who are giving their all every day. So clearly, thanks to them, the dead have never been more alive.”

Update 2: The Walking Dead season 4 premiere is now being hailed as “the most watched non-sports telecast in cable history” after factoring in Live+3 data; an additional 4.1 million viewers watched the episode in the three days following the live Sunday airdate bringing its total viewership to a whopping 20.2 million.

The third season of Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology series American Horror Story is upon us. This year is called Coven and it involves witches and voodoo and New Orleans. The cast is largely female this season featuring heavy hitters like series vet Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Taissa Farmiga, Angela Bassett, Patti Lupone, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe, Jamie Brewer, Evan Peters, and Denis O’Hare. The show’s official site offers up a brief glimpse of what’s in store:

American Horror Story: Coven tells the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America. Over three hundred years have passed since the turbulent days of Salem and those who managed to escape are now facing extinction. Mysterious attacks have been escalating against their kind and young girls are being sent away to a special school in New Orleans to learn how to protect themselves. Wrapped up in the turmoil is new arrival, Zoe, who is harboring a terrifying secret of her own. Alarmed by the recent aggression, Fiona, the long-absent Supreme, sweeps back into town, determined to protect the Coven and hell-bent on decimating anyone who gets in her way.

I was fortunate enough to screen the premiere titled “Bitchcraft” (heh) early and I can tell you without any qualms that it’s quite fun and still scary. This season Murphy is aiming for a lighter, more palatable ride. Last season’s Asylum was fantastic–don’t get me wrong–but you must admit it was, at times, difficult to watch in terms of its heavy, dark tones and overly disturbing situations. The Coven premiere starts off disturbing enough and yet it doesn’t hold back jolts of humor–a pleasant surprise. If the first ep is any indication, Coven is going to be a wild, scary, sexy, fun time.

Below, check out character portraits and posters in the galleries. (How do you like the provocative key art hanging above, hm?) After the break, watch the one minute main title sequence filled with (to put it mildly) tantalizing imagery and that score you know and love. Click here to watch the many Coven promos.

American Horror Story: Coven premieres tonight, Wednesday, October 9, at 10PM on FX.

Update (10/10): “Bitchcraft” attracted 5.54 million total viewers making it the most-watched episode of the series spanning all three seasons. The Murder House series premiere in 2011 was the previous record-holding episode which garnered 3.85 million total viewers. The Coven premiere also attracted a solid 3.87 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demo, another new record for the anthology series.