The Walking Dead Season 10 Is Highest-Rated Season on Rotten Tomatoes

The Walking Dead Season 10 is now the zombie drama’s highest-rated season on Rotten Tomatoes. Certified fresh at 93%, the season now airing on AMC has topped the 91% currently held by Season 9, longtime writer-producer Angela Kang‘s first season as showrunner. Season 9 was once The Walking Dead‘s highest-rated season on the review aggregator site; it also peaked at 93% before settling at 91%. Kang’s so far two-season tenure tops Season 5 (89%) — which broke records when it delivered series-high viewership under then-showrunner Scott Gimple — as well as the premiere season (88%) from series creator and original showrunner Frank Darabont.

Seasons 1 and 3 are tied at 88%, followed by Season 4 (84%), Season 2 (81%), Season 6 (77%), Season 7 (65%) and Season 8 (64%). The 93% score for Season 10 also sets a franchise-best: spinoff Fear the Walking Dead‘s highest-rated season is Season 3 (83%), followed by Season 4 (81%), Season 1 (77%), Season 2 (70%) and Season 5 (55%).

In its review of the first three episodes of Season 10, ComicBook.com wrote The Walking Dead is “scary good again” before noting “television hasn’t been this addictive since Breaking Bad.“

“I hope you’re excited for The Walking Dead, because this season’s fricking crazy. It’s so good this season,” Daryl Dixon star Norman Reedus said during an October convention appearance. “There are things that are gonna happen this season that are mind-blowing, and the sets are huge, it’s just nuts. Everybody on our crew, who have been there for ten years, are freaking out over this season. And they’re kinda hard to phase, ’cause they’re there every single day, but it’s nuts.”

The first full season without Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes — who next returns to TWD Universe in a planned trilogy of theatrically released Walking Dead movies — Season 10 is “a whole brand new thing,” added Reedus, whose praise of Kang was received by cheers and applause. “I think Angela Kang’s doing a great job as the showrunner this season,” Reedus said, describing year ten as “combustible.”

“The whole thing is flammable. Just wait,” Reedus said. “It gets really crazy.”

The Walking Dead next airs its midseason finale, “The World Before,” as it readies the exit of Michonne star Danai Gurira, who will depart in the back half of the season in 2020.

“The World Before” premieres Sunday, Nov. 24 at 9/8c on AMC. For more TWD intel, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.