'The Walking Dead' Slays the Competition

Did you think The Walking Dead couldn't get any bigger? Think again. The hit AMC show took Michonne's katana sword to the rest of the competition on Sunday Night, as the return from winter hiatus drew a record 12.3 Million Viewers, with a 6.1 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic, the largest the series has ever seen in both categories.

That means The Walking Dead destroyed American Idol in adults 18-49, and nearly topped it in total viewers period. Not to mention the fact that The Walking Dead had to go up against some stiff competition in the 2013 Grammy Awards, or it could have been even larger. Michael Rooker, who plays fan favorite Merle, commented on twitter: Gmorning all y'all FANS around the World a big SHIT YES!!! Thank you!!! For ur Support...  

The show is changing the face of television, as cable networks can now dream of beating out broadcast networks in the ratings game. This all comes after The Walking Dead became the first cable show in history to become the Fall's most watched show with 18-49 year olds. Zombies may be hot right now, but this show  has been able to be much more than that, creating characters that people care about, which the broadcast networks are dreaming they can do. 

I have to say, it was probably my least favorite episode (titled "The Suicide King") so far this season, but it did a good job setting up the rest of the season, so it was needed. Especially after the intensity of the previous episode, "Made to Suffer", this one was a bit more mellow. Now just because it was my least favorite of the season doesn't mean much, as it was still incredibly entertaining. If you need a little Walking Dead style action in the middle of the week, give The Americans on FX a chance. It's yet another exciting cable show to add to the growing collection of them.

The Americans Invade FX

Do you think you know your neighbors, or even your family? That is one of the themes of the new FX show "The Americans", which premiered tonight on FX. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are our stars, secret KGB spies for the Soviet Union in 1981. Yes, Keri Russell from "Felicity". Who knew she could do an outstanding job as a devious, thrilling spy? Both her and Rhys were clearly perfect for the roles, and manage to make us cheer for them, even though they are Soviet spies.

As a fan of "Homeland" currently in withdrawal, this show couldn't come at a better time. The first episode was action packed, thrilling, sexy, and gave a good amount of character development. Russell certainly reminds me of Claire Danes in her role as Elizabeth Jennings, at least in terms of her persistence. Rhys, as Phillip Jennings, expertly showcases his conflicting emotions of wanting to continue as a KGB spy, yet having thoughts of defecting as he increasingly enjoys the American lifestyle. Their relationship with each other, and their American born children, works well in the story. You actually care about them, and they managed to make it happen in one episode. By the time they have a steamy sex scene in their car after dumping a defected Soviet's body, you're just waiting for it to happen. And they do it to the tune of Phil Collins' 1981 hit "In The Air Tonight". See what I mean by sexy?

The storyline also takes place in 1981 not just to throw in some 1980s style & music, but because it was the start of the Reagan administration. The Cold War escalated when President Reagan took office, so it was the perfect starting point. We do get a few much welcome flashbacks to the 1960s, with hopefully more to come.

Jump on board now, "The Americans" is already proving to be a wild ride.