AMC ANNOUNCES "THE WALKING DEAD" SEASON SEVEN WILL DEBUT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 AT 9:00 P.M. ET/PT

"Talking Dead" and "Comic Book Men" to Follow

International Premieres of "The Walking Dead" Season Seven to Air Within 24 Hours of U.S. Broadcast Across All FOX Channels Outside the U.S.

SAN DIEGO, CA - July 22, 2015 - AMC announced today from Comic-Con International that "The Walking Dead" season seven will premiere Sunday, October 23 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. As in previous seasons, the show's seventh season of 16 episodes will air in two parts, with the first eight episodes kicking off October 23 and the final eight returning February 2017. Following "The Walking Dead" will be the season premieres of AMC's "Talking Dead," hosted by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist), at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, and "Comic Book Men" at midnight ET/PT. Internationally, "The Walking Dead" will return on FOX channels to audiences in 125+ markets within 24 hours of the U.S. premiere, as part of FOX's continued commitment to broadcast the series near day-and-date globally.

Today at 1:00 p.m. PT is AMC's "The Walking Dead" Comic-Con panel event, moderated by Hardwick, and the season seven trailer premiere in Hall H. Following the event, the trailer can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmUz88zoIg0, along with the new trailer for "Fear the Walking Dead" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtAyQeDygaM. At AMC's "The Walking Dead" booth (#4237), fans can stop by to take photos of themselves among Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) infamous "lineup" from the season six finale.

Also, tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. PT in Hall H, Kevin Smith will discuss the sixth season of "Comic Book Men," for which he serves as executive producer, as well as his new late-night talk show, "Geeking Out," which he co-hosts with Greg Grunberg ("Heroes, "Heroes Reborn" "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"). "Geeking Out," which takes a timely look at pop culture through a fanboy lens, premieres with a special Comic-Con episode on Sunday, July 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

AMC also announced two "The Walking Dead" special programming events hosted by Hardwick. A "The Walking Dead Season 7 Preview Special," which will give fans an early look at what to expect in the upcoming season, including exclusive interviews with the cast and executive producers and behind-the-scenes moments, premieres Sunday, August 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. A two-hour "The Walking Dead" Recap Special" (working title), a retrospective on the series' acclaimed six seasons, premieres Sunday, October 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The season premieres of "The Walking Dead" and "Talking Dead" will coincide the network's annual blockbuster marathon of thriller and horror films, AMC Fearfest. Celebrating its 20th year, AMC Fearfest will feature themed programming and more than 60 films, running from Sunday, October 16 through Tuesday, October 31.

ABOUT "THE WALKING DEAD"

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, "The Walking Dead" reigns as television's most watched drama for adults 18-49 for the last four years. "The Walking Dead" tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse, and follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The series, which has been heralded by critics as "an honest-to-God phenomenon" (Variety), is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse.

ABOUT "TALKING DEAD"

"Talking Dead" is AMC's first live after show that serves as a platform for discussion for "The Walking Dead." Produced by Embassy Row and executive produced by Michael Davies, Jennifer Kelly Patton and Brandon Monk, "Talking Dead" features host Chris Hardwick spending time with fans, actors, producers and TV enthusiasts, recapping the most recent "Dead" episode, providing sneak peeks and discussion of upcoming episodes and taking questions and comments from viewers. Fans may continue to engage with the after-show following the on-air conclusion, online, at AMC.com for more conversations, questions and trivia.

ABOUT "COMIC BOOK MEN"

"Comic Book Men" dives deep into fanboy culture by following the antics in and around master fanboy Smith's New Jersey comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. Leading the crew behind the Secret Stash counter are Walt, Mike, Brian and Ming, who geek out over mind-blowing pop culture artifacts and the legends behind them. Whether it's about buying and selling memorabilia or embarking on wild adventures away from the store, the men of The Stash share all the juicy details with Kevin through their hilarious podcast, which is woven throughout the series.

ABOUT "GEEKING OUT"

"Geeking Out" is a new, late-night talk show hosted, by Kevin Smith ("Comic Book Men," "Clerks") and Greg Grunberg ("Heroes, "Heroes Reborn" "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"), that will take a timely look at pop culture through a fanboy lens with clips, celebrity interviews and out-of-the-studio segments. The series is produced by Matador Content and The Weinstein Company in association with Bandwagon Media with Jay Peterson, Patrick Reardon, Smith and Grunberg serving as executive producers.

ABOUT AMC

AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Drama Series with "Mad Men" in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before "Breaking Bad" won it in 2013 and 2014. The network's series "The Walking Dead" is the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last four years. AMC's other current original drama series include "Better Call Saul," "Hell on Wheels," "Turn: Washington's Spies," "Halt and Catch Fire," "Humans," "Fear the Walking Dead," "Into the Badlands," "The Night Manager," "Preacher," and forthcoming "Feed the Beast," "The Son" and "The Terror." AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like "Talking Dead," "The Making of The Mob," "Comic Book Men" and the upcoming "Ride with Norman Reedus" and "The American West." AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.

ABOUT FOX

FOX is the #1 general entertainment channel globally. The brand is synonymous with groundbreaking Hollywood entertainment and delivers a varied programing schedule that includes comedy, drama, science fiction, action and animation. It is inclusive and broad in its appeal, and delivers the best shows first to a wide audience. FOX offers international viewers exclusive, original and breakthrough series such as The Simpsons, Outcast, The X-Files, The Walking Dead, Empire, American Horror Story, Homeland and Wayward Pines. FOX is available in 31 local languages in over 255 million homes across 127 countries outside the U.S. As a result of its scale and global synergies, FOX was able to pioneer a global day-and-date release strategy for key series, and remains the only international network able to release TV series at the same time as the U.S. at scale. FOX is available as a linear SD and HD channel and through authenticated FOX Play apps.