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2 TV ENCORE By Kyla Brewer TV Media W ith endless television series available for binge-watch- ing, time-shifting and old-fash- ioned recording, it's tough to keep viewers tuning in these days. But millions of fans are set to glue themselves to the tube thanks to a cliffhanger that's had the Internet and Twitterverse buzzing for months. The wait is almost over for fans of television's most popular prime-time drama as the zom- bie apocalypse continues in "The Walking Dead," airing Sunday, Oct. 23, on AMC. In last season's finale, Rick (Andrew Lincoln, "Love Actually," 2003) and some of the others had run afoul of new villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, "Grey's Anatomy"). Wielding a barbed wire-wrapped bat that he has affectionately named "Lucille," Negan was on the verge of exe- cuting a member of Rick's group when the credits rolled, and viewers have been speculating about who is about to meet an untimely end ever since. It seems no one is safe. There are a multitude of theories as to what happens next, but one thing is for certain: "The Walking Dead" has our atten- tion. Based on the comic books of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, the show has been the highest-rated series among the coveted 18-to-49- year-old demographic since sea- son 3, and that includes both broadcast network and cable series. The sixth season finale Avalle Mechanical 2 x 3" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" Diversified General FCU 2 x 3" On the Cover attracted more than 14 million viewers and hopes are even higher for the season 7 pre- miere. There are big plans for this 16-episode season, which will be broken into two parts, with the second half premiering in February 2017. Viewers will get to know Negan and his motley crew, as well as Ezekiel (Khary Payton, "Teen Titans"), a popular character from the comics. Executive producer and spe- cial effects guru Greg Nicotero talked about filming this sea- son's heartbreaking premiere in an official Q&A about season 7. "The first episode was intense. It affected me in a way I didn't expect. Every emotion that you can imagine feeling, you will feel. You think that they are at the bottom, but there is a lot further for them to go." That doesn't bode well for fans, who can't seem to bear the thought of losing any core character of this AMC drama that follows a group of survi- vors struggling to stay alive in a world overrun with zombies. Over the course of six seasons, there have been a number of shocking deaths as writers bravely picked off popular char- acters, but this most recent sea- son finale seems to have taken the cake, and fans have engaged in endless debate over whether the show will follow the storyline of the comic and take out Glenn (Steven Yeun, "Voltron: Legendary Defender"). Other contenders for execu- tion include — in no particular order — Abraham (Michael Cudlitz, "Band of Brothers"), Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green, "Once Upon a Time"), Rosita (Christian Serratos, "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide"), Eugene (Josh McDermitt, "Retired at 35"), Maggie (Lauren Cohan, "The Vampire Diaries"), Michonne (Danai Gurira, "Treme"), Aaron (Ross Marquand, "Mad Men") and fan-favorite Daryl (Norman Reedus, "The Boondock Saints," 1999), a wildcard character that doesn't appear in the comic book series. Even Rick's son Carl (Chandler Riggs, "The Wronged Man") and Rick himself may not be safe from Lucille. Rumors have swirled that there may be more than one execution, but no one official has confirmed that particular report. While at least one character is undoubtedly on the way out, someone else is on his way in. Payton joins the season 7 cast as Ezekiel, the leader of a com- munity known as The Kingdom. Once a zookeeper in the comic books, the character of Ezekiel has a loyal tiger companion named Shiva. By all accounts, he's a bit eccentric, known to prance around with a scepter and insist people address him as King. He encounters Morgan (Lennie James, "Jericho") and Carol (Melissa McBride, "Living Proof") in season 7. So it appears that fans can rest assured Morgan and Carol probably won't be leaving right away, at least not by Negan's hand. Then again, Morgan and Tara (Alanna Masterson, "Mistresses") are seen presum- ably running for their lives in an official trailer for season 7, so anything could happen. There's a lot of talk about killing off main characters, but what about the zombies? For those who worry that focus has shifted away from the undead, take heart: plenty of zombies bite it in the upcoming season. In fact, during the "The Walking Dead" panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, executive producer and writer Scott M. Gimple estimated as many as 61 walkers would meet a grue- some end in the season's sec- ond episode. With zombies galore, at least one character leaving and new characters signing on, season 7 has the potential to be one of the best yet. "The Walking Dead" universe expands as Negan "adopts" the remaining members of the group and viewers enter Ezekiel's Kingdom, so don't miss the sea- son premiere of "The Walking Dead," airing Sunday, Oct. 23, on AMC. Khary Payton as seen in "The Walking Dead" Mystery character meets his/her end when 'The Walking Dead' returns D&J Liquors 3 x 2" Direct Maytag 2 x 1.5"

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