‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7: AMC Makes It Official, Confirms Norman Reedus Reality Show

The Walking Dead has been renewed for a seventh season, AMC officially confirmed Friday, coincidentally just one day before Halloween.

AMC has ordered 16 episodes of the hit series, bringing the total number of Walking Dead episodes to 99, which breaks Mad Men’s AMC record of 92 episodes, according to Mass Live.

The Walking Dead is at present the number one show on television among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, making the renewal somewhat predictable. Season 6 of the series opened to more than 14.6 million viewers. However, additional calculations from DVR viewings boosted the premiere viewers total to 19.5 million, which made The Walking Dead the highest-rated premier of the entire year.

Although it is currently unclear who in the cast will survive to see the seventh season (fans are currently debating the death of prominent character Glenn Rhee), Scott M. Gimple is returning as the executive producer, along with Tom Luse, Greg Nicotero, David Alpert, Robert Kirkman, and Gale Anee Hurd.

AMC president Charlie Collier released a statement about the renewal, praising both the cast and fans of the show.

“Thank goodness someone had a Magic 8-Ball with them in our many long internal meetings about these renewals. When, on the third shake, ‘without a doubt’ filled the murky blue screen, we knew we had to proceed with new seasons of The Walking Dead and Talking Dead. All joking aside, we are so proud to share these shows with fans who have been so passionate, communicative and engaged. 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. The result: More Walking and Talking. Hooray.”

As Collier mentioned, AMC also announced the renewal of The Walking Dead’s companion show, Talking Dead, which is the live after-show hosted by Chris Hardwick. The hit show’s “sister series,” Fear the Walking Dead, has also been renewed.

The Walking Dead’s renewal announcement came just one day after another major announcement. Norman Reedus, who stars in the hit series, is getting his own show. Reedus is teaming up with AMC for a documentary-style show on motorcycle culture, reports CNN. Joel Stillerman, AMC and Sundance TV’s original programming and development president, explained why Reedus was chosen.

“We love being the home of people’s passion projects, and there is nobody more passionate about motorcycles than Norman Reedus. He is an avid rider and aficionado who is deeply immersed in motorcycle culture. There is also nobody more fun to hang out with. This show will bring those two elements together for a weekly ride into the incredible world of motorcycles and the people who live and breathe them.”

The short series, currently titled Ride With Norman Reedus, will be prodcued by Left/Right Prodcutions and will consist of six hour-long episodes each exploring the history and culture of motorcycles. Reedus, who plays motorcycle riding Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead, will ride with friends through multiple U.S. cities, stopping along the way to explore places like bike shops and tattoo parlors, while showcasing various types of bikes.

“Norman’s interest in motorcycle culture and his natural ability to make friends wherever the road takes him are just two of the key ingredients that make this show so exciting for us,” said Left/Right co-president Ken Druckerman. “We look forward to taking viewers on a fun, imaginative, and revealing ride.”

Walking Dead fans have already begun questioning if the new show means an untimely death for Daryl Dixon, but according to Entertainment Weekly, Reedus will have plenty of time to shoot the six episodes during the show’s hiatus.

The Walking Dead’s seventh season is set to premiere in October 2016.

[Photo courtesy of AMC/The Walking Dead]