Following a screening of the opening double-length episode of The Walking Dead‘s second season, the show’s executive producers promised that this year would see “more of everything” and be both “awesome” and “intense”.

After the negative reaction to AMC’s handling of Frank Darabont’s departure from the series mid-filming, the network is keen to reassure fans that the show is even better this year. The graphic novel’s creator, Robert Kirkman, told AOL News that “It’s definitely an intense season, and [the first] episode is a really good example of what’s to come. It really is non-stop, just shocks and twists. It’s gonna be a bit of a nail-biter, I think, all the way to the 13th episode.”

Gayle Anne Hurd said the season has “More character, more zombies and more time spent exploring this post-apocalyptic world, which we didn’t have last year. And more episodes.”

Kirkman also noted that the show doesn’t follow his graphic novel slavishly.  “It would bore me to be watching this show as a fan and know exactly what’s gonna happen,” he pointed out. “Even if you are a diehard fan of the comic book series, you’re not expecting [what happens in the premiere].”

New showrunner Glen Mazzara claimed “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.”

The Walking Dead returns to FX on October 16 in the US and will air during the following week in all global markets.