SPOILERS: The Walking Dead Hikes Up Violence

AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead returns for a second season Sunday, and it appears that the continuation of the short, six-episode first season will not be as rushed, TIME.com reports.

Picking up where it left off, the show will follow its band of survivors as they flee the defunct CDC and brave the dangerous, zombie-filled highways for another haven. "What happens next is — well, harrowing and thrilling, and involves zombies," writes TIME's James Poniewozik, who's previewed the first two episodes. "But maybe most important is that what happens next is not too much. Maybe because it has a full season to play with, the show slows down, focusing on a couple of acts of violence and their very painful (physical and moral) aftereffects."

With new sources of drama — and reasons for envelope-pushing TV violence — come new challenges for lead actor Andrew Lincoln, who along with executive producer Glen Mazzara carry the show to new heights. "And they do it with compelling action sequences and lean, emotional dialogue: the whole show feels more pared-down and focused," Poniewozik continues. "And [Lincoln] benefits from this in particular, embodying a man trying to bear up under pressure past the point of exhaustion."

Watch the trailer for the upcoming season here: