The dead come alive on TV

Alexander Skarsgard plays Eric Northman on HBO's "True Blood." Credit: HBO

October 27, 2011

Last Halloween, Ryan Murphy, the TV producer who helped bring "Glee" into the world, enjoyed what he calls "the greatest viewing experience" of his life. It had nothing to do with bubbly song-and-dance numbers.

A passionate scary movie junkie, he cleared his schedule and rushed home to catch the premiere of "The Walking Dead," AMC's ghastly drama about a plague of flesh-eating zombies.

"I had the best time. I loved it," recalls Murphy, who continues to follow the series with a religious fervor.

Apparently, he's not the only one who craves some prime-time gloom and gore. Earlier this month, "The Walking Dead" reaffirmed its status as a monster hit by scaring up an AMC record 7.3 million viewers for its Season 2 opener.

Two weeks earlier, Murphy and writing partner Brad Falchuk struck ratings gold for FX with the premiere of "American Horror Story," a chaotic tale of haunted house terror.

Then there's "True Blood," the twisted, Southern-fried vampire saga, recently renewed for a fifth season, that continues to reign as HBO's most popular series.

These shows and others are bringing newfound attention to a genre that, historically, hasn't had a major impact on television. And they're serving as a reminder to programmers that many TV viewers crave chills and thrills -- and not only on Halloween.