The Walking Dead not only gained in viewership with its season four premiere on Sunday, but with 16.1 million viewers, it saw a 48% jump from its season three premiere (10.9 million).

Already the record-holder for most viewers ever on cable television with 12.4 million viewers for its season three finale, Sunday night's ratings further cement Dead's claim as No. 1 cable series of all time. Of its new season premiere viewers, a staggering 10.4 million were in the highly coveted 18-49 demographic, more than any NFL game this season.

With an 8.3 rating in that key demo, that's significantly more than even heavy hitter Big Bang Theory, which had a then-satisfying 6.1 rating for its premiere night last month. Its overall viewership also puts Dead firmly in the top tier of TV series, as top show NCIS (which, by contrast, airs on broadcast network CBS) currently averages 20 million for new episodes.

It's been a good month for AMC, which attracted 10.3 million viewers for the Breaking Bad series finale just two weeks ago.