The Walking Dead’s Season 8 Trailer Has Broken Some Records

The Walking Dead debuted its season eight trailer at San Diego Comic Con last weekend, with the trailer racking up a record-setting 31 million views in its first four days online. The five-minute preview toppled last year’s season seven trailer, which reached 25 million views in its first four days.

“Thank you to the fans for, once again, filling Hall H at Comic-Con, our lucky seventh year in a row sharing this hallowed, fan-first experience,” said AMC Studios president Charlier Collier in a statement. “And, since Friday’s The Walking Dead panel ended, thanks to fans all over the world for watching our season eight trailer more than 31 million times, and counting. To receive this type of record-breaking response heading into the series’ 100th episode is beyond gratifying. We look forward to sharing so much more with you as we count down to an unforgettable season.”

Following season six’s cliffhanger ending in which newcomer villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) selected a victim to execute — a pick unrevealed to the audience — the trailer was forced to omit the series’ main characters, offering looks at main characters Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl (Norman Reedus), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Carl (Chandler Riggs), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and Glenn (Steven Yeun) only in flashbacks.

Unable to show any of the characters included in the lineup — including fan-favorites Abraham, Sasha, Aaron, Rosita, and Eugene — the season seven trailer spent half of its three-minute running time recapping past events, using the remaining half to tease developments with longtime survivors Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan (Lennie James), and new characters Dwight (Austin Amelio) and Negan. The trailer ended teasing the introduction of King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and his roaring tiger Shiva.

The season eight trailer, more reflective of the pending season’s emphasis on war, teases the Alexandria, Hilltop, and Kingdom communities rallying together to take a stand against Negan and his oppressive Saviors, ending with a glimpse at lead Rick Grimes older and with a decidedly different look.

“It’s a ton of action. It’s super exciting. I think it will be really, really satisfying,” producer Denise Huth said of the upcoming season. “As a fan of the show — and I am a fan of the show — when I read it, it was like ‘Awww, I can’t wait! It’s going to be great!’ It’s worth the worth the wait to get to this moment.”

The Walking Dead will return to AMC with the debut of its eighth season and the series’ 100th episode on Sunday, October 22nd.