For this week's podcast, we had a special guest for the last segment. Alyssa Rosenberg, a former political reporter who writes about TV and pop culture for Think Progress and The Atlantic, joined Ryan McGee and myself for our discussion of 'Boss,' the new political drama starring Kelsey Grammar (my review of the show is here).

Before we got to 'Boss,' Ryan and I discussed 'The Walking Dead's' new season and its boffo ratings, and we also gabbed about the new ABC drama 'Once Upon a Time,' which premieres Sunday.

Running times are below.

I had to pull out my zombie pillow within the first ten minutes of the season two opener of AMC's 'The Walking Dead' this past Sunday. What, you don't have a zombie pillow? Allow me to explain. It's large enough that when held tightly in your arms at waist level, the top edge is about eye level, where it can easily be shifted into a view-blocking position in times of particular stress. If your zombie pillow can be made to smell like vanilla or warm pie through the miracle of scented oils or room sprays, so much the better.

Do you remember, during the first season of 'The Walking Dead,' that half-torso walker that Rick Grimes stumbled upon? You know, the one that you actually felt a little empathy for because there was something that still felt a little human about her?

Have you lost sleep wondering how she became this way? Well, aren't YOU lucky. Now, through the magic of Internet video (scientists call these "webisodes"), you now have the opportunity to learn just how this happened.

'The Walking Dead' Season 2 premiere ratings are scary good. More than 7 million viewers watched the second season premiere of AMC's zombie hit.

According to AMC, the premiere was the "strongest telecast for any drama in basic cable history." The episode had 4.8 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic, 4.2 million viewers in 25-54 and a total of 7.3 million.

I like 'The Walking Dead' again. This comes after not liking 'The Walking Dead' at the end of last season (which I harped on way too much over at Vanity Fair last season) after really liking 'The Walking Dead' when it premiered. But, you see, I still feel a bit burned from last season's debacle. What started as a nuanced and (somewhat) realistic approach to an outbreak that left most of the population of Earth as non-sentient monsters, quickly deteriorated into absolute nonsense. Look, say what you will about 'Lost,' but at least its plot point about a mysterious bunker played out over the course of more than an entire season. 'The Walking Dead' decided to pull off its version of The Hatch (no joke, I really feel the Center for Disease Control was a ripoff of The Hatch -- way more on that right here) – from its discovery to its destruction – in two episodes. It's as if the same virus from the plot of 'The Walking Dead' somehow infected the show itself. (And, as we know, that virus claimed some causalities.) Regardless, whatever the problems were at the end of the last season ... I'm, cautiously, giving the second season another chance. And after watching last night's episode ... I'm, cautiously, optimistic.

As much as 'The Walking Dead' (Sun., 10PM ET on AMC) is only going to work if it's about the characters and their stories, the fact that we are given reasons to care about them makes the zombie scares that much more compelling.

Then there's the fact that sometimes it's just cool to be stuck on the edge of your seat wondering if and how they're going to get out of this latest mess. Fans of the Robert Kirkman comic book series, and even this show, know that not everyone always gets away, which makes these moments even more intense.

So ... what'd you think of 'The Walking Dead' Season 2 premiere? Do you agree with my earlier expletive-laced assessment?

Yeah, you don't even have to answer that. Just wow.

Now that you've seen what everyone's been talking about, here are a few season premiere reactions from the show's new boss Glen Mazzara and executive producers Gale Anne Hurd, Robert Kirkman and Dave Alpert.

Warning: Major Season 2 premiere spoilers ahead!

'The Walking Dead' (9PM ET Sunday, AMC) went through a lot of public controversy over the summer when executive producer Frank Darabont abruptly left and his second-in-command, Glen Mazzara, was appointed showrunner. The good news is, you wouldn't know any of that from watching the show.

In the first two episodes of the drama's second season, scares are efficiently dispensed, the action moves along briskly and there are credible attempts to make the survivors of a zombie apocalypse more than a collection of types.

The bottom line is, if you liked the what the show was dishing out in its first season -- genre storytelling made with admirable restraint and economy, except for those jump-out-of-your-seat scary/gross moments -- you're likely to enjoy what you see in season 2.

Before Andrew Lincoln hit the big time in the U.S. starring in 'The Walking Dead' as zombie apocalypse survivor and committed family guy Rick Grimes, he was famous to a generation of British fans who knew him simply as "Egg."

Lincoln played the sensitive and conflicted Edgar Cooke, a.k.a. Egg, in the critically acclaimed mid-'90s BBC drama, 'This Life.' Set in South London, the series followed the trials and tribulations of a houseful of 20-something college graduates as they embarked on their fledgling legal careers.

'This Life' became notorious for its portrayal of hard-working, hard-partying young professionals and its liberal heapings of sex, drugs and booze, all played out against a Portishead soundtrack.

After the jump, check out Lincoln in 'This Life.' (And yes, there is some Portishead.)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10

'Gossip Girl' (8PM ET, The CW)
Nate must decide whether to cross moral lines at Diana's (guest star Elizabeth Hurley) request. Dan has figured out who is publishing his book and seeks help to stop it, but he ends up in the spotlight anyway. Chuck helps Dan come to terms with his fate, while Dan continues to try to help Chuck break through his emotional block -- bromance alert!

'Five' (9PM ET, Lifetime) special telefilm premiere
An anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people's lives, Five uses humor and drama to focus on the effects breast cancer and its different stages of diagnosis have on relationships and the way women perceive themselves. It's an undeniable tearjerker, but there's enough star-power in this earnest TV movie to light Manhattan: Directed by Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Alicia Keys, Penelope Spheeris and Patty Jenkins, the cast includes Patricia Clarkson, Rosario Dawson, Lyndsy Fonseca, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Holloway, Taylor Kinney, Jennifer Morrison, Kathy Najimy and Tony Shalhoub, among numerous others.

The return of 'The Walking Dead' is just days away and ahead of the Season 2 premiere we hear a rumor that scary redneck Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) may also be returning.

Norman Reedus, who plays Merle's almost equally scary younger brother Daryl, told TV Guide that an upcoming episode (airing Nov. 13) will revolve around his character.

"It's pretty much all Daryl on his own, in a hard-core man-versus-world psychological [quest] with inner turmoil and hints of 'Deliverance.'"

Your desire for zombies is about to get a whole lot easier to satisfy.

Starting today, 'The Walking Dead' Season 1 will be available on Netflix to members in the US and Canada. AMC Networks has struck a deal with Netflix to bring the horror hit to the instant streaming service.

"This agreement supports the cable 'ecosystem' by making our content available to Netflix nearly a year following the linear premiere, it brings our content to a wider audience, and it provides additional revenue to support production of new shows," John Sapan, president and CEO of AMC Networks said.

Additionally, Netflix will get 'Portlandia,' 'The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,' 'My Fair Wedding,' 'Bridezillas,' 'Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys,' 'Braxton Family Values' and more as part of the deal with AMC Networks.

To wet your zombie appetite, AMC has begun rolling out all kinds of 'The Walking Dead' Season 2 goodies. The most recent? A behind-the-scenes video with tons of Season 2 footage and interviews with the cast.

"The stakes are higher, the characters are richer," Steve Yeun (Glenn) says in the video. "It'll blow your face off."

Along with the promise of more action, drama and yep, zombies, Season 2 will see the characters in a new environment as they stumble upon a working farm and meet new characters played played by Lauren Cohan and Scott Wilson.

"The writing is so good this year, it's spooky," Laurie Holden (Andrea) says.

It seems like cast is as excited about Season 2 as we are! Watch the video and check out a gallery of new stills below.

Playing Lori Grimes in AMC's zombie apocalypse drama 'The Walking Dead' has gotten into Sarah Wayne Callies' head. She told 'Good Day LA' (weekdays, 9 AM PT on Fox) that she had a dream where she was "swimming in a river and I looked down and all these dead bodies started to float up to the top." Afterwards, she immediately called former 'Walking Dead' Writer/Director & Executive Producer Frank Darabont, saying "I've got a great scene for you!"

Earlier in the show, Steve Edwards asked Callies about her exit and return from the show 'Prison Break,' where she played Dr. Sara Tancredi. Her character seemed to have been beheaded in Season 3, only to return in Season 4. "That's a complicated story that I probably shouldn't get into," she said. "The simple answer is that I had a baby." When they asked her to come back, it was around April 1 and she thought it was a joke. "I thought about wearing a scarf for the whole 4th season," she joked.

In a matter of weeks, 'The Walking Dead' is going to storm -- well if you're a zombie, limp -- back to our TVs.

What's the best way to get ready? By checking out the new promo stills for Season 2!

"We've done a lot of work designing the arc for the entire season, all the way through, so every episode I think will land with this punch," new 'The Walking Dead' showrunner Glen Mazzara told AOL TV. "Whether or not there's zombie gags or the action or we have the emotional pay-off ... right now we don't have a bad episode in the can. I'm very proud of this season.