What Lies Ahead on AMC. It received 7.3 million viewers and attained a 4.8HH rating, breaking the record for the most-watched drama in the history of cable television. It received the second highest viewership of the week ending October 16, scoring higher than "Jersey Shore" but less than a 2011 NFL season game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. "What Lies Ahead" achieved similar feats, attaining a 3.8 rating—translating to 4.8 million viewers—in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. In the 25–54 demographic, it garnered 4.2 million viewers. Total viewership after two encore presentations was 11 million viewers, an increase
What Lies Ahead also be seen in the Comic-Con trailer. The original title was seen on early marketing material for the season before the decision was made to "cannibalize" the original premiere into what would become "What Lies Ahead." Following in the tradition established by the pilot, "Miles Behind Us" was taken from the title of the first issue of the second volume of the graphic novel. In the Season 2 DVD commentary, Robert Kirkman and Glen Mazzara described the decision to retool the premiere in such a dramatic way as an amicable decision agreed upon between both the producers and AMC to