"The Walking Dead" season 5 premiere sets ratings record

"The Walking Dead" continues to shatter its own ratings records.

The zombie drama returned for its fifth season Sunday with an average of 17.3 million viewers tuning in (11 million of which fell into the adults 18-49 demographic), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

That's a series high, and beats the show's previous record of 16.1 million viewers (with 10.4 million in the 18-49 demo) for the season 4 premiere last year.

Last week, AMC renewed "The Walking Dead" for a sixth season. The network has also ordered a pilot for a companion series with a new story and characters.