'The Walking Dead' news: Show renewed for season 7

AMC

In what many perceive to be the least surprising turn of events, AMC has announced that "The Walking Dead" has been officially renewed for a seventh season. Alongside it will come a new season of "The Talking Dead" aftershow.

In a report from TVLine, AMC president Charlie Collier joked about the show's renewal, stating that "without a doubt" they would be renewing the hit television show and its accompanying aftershow. He then extended his gratitude to the fans who have remained passionate about the show throughout its current six-season run.

"We are grateful for and continually impressed by the talent, effort and excellence on continuous display by Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, Chris Hardwick and the many people with whom we partner to make these unique shows possible," he adds on. "The result: More 'Walking' and 'Talking.' Hooray."

According to the report, the season 6 premiere did see a small drop in viewer ratings but overall the series has remained strong and is still regarded as one of the most widely watched series on television. The most recent episode , episode 3, had 18.2 million viewers. This counts in 12 million adults in the 18-49 age bracket.

This is reportedly higher than the viewer ratings for episode 3 of the previous season. This may be partly due to the shocking twist at the episode's ending or it may simply be another indication that "The Walking Dead" has no intention of slowing down.

The most recent episode of "The Talking Dead" reached its highest rating with 7.3 million viewers, 4.6 million coming in from the adult demographic.

With season 7 looming in the distance, it is very likely that the series will be able to continue developing storylines and ideas that were adapted from the original Robert Kirkman comic books, particularly the impending war Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the rest of Alexandria will wage against the villainous Negan, who is speculated to pop up during the finale episode for season 6.