The Walking Dead season 8 midseason premiere is the show’s lowest-rated episode ever.
According to Nielsen Live+Same Day data, Sunday’s premiere drew a 3.6 rating in adults 18-49 and 8.3 million viewers. That is up slightly from the midseason finale ratings (3.4, 7.9 million) in December, but was still the lowest-rated “Walking Dead” midseason premiere to date.
The ratings continue to plummet despite the fact a significant character left the show during the episode after revealing a walker bite in the midseason finale.
That said, The Walking Dead remains the number one show on TV for the day and is the highest rated show on cable Sunday. It is the closest cable competition was its own after the show, Talking Dead, which drew a 1.5 rating and 3.6 million viewers. Also, The Walking Dead remains the number one show on TV among adults 18 to 49 for the sixth season in a row.
Earlier, the Season 8 midseason finale was the hit show’s lowest-rated episode since Season 2. The season 8 premiere was also the show’s lowest-rated since its third season, despite the fact that the Season 8 opener was also the show’s 100th episode.
AMC is making changes.
Last month, AMC announced the series showrunner Scott Gimple is being elevated to the newly created role of the chief content officer, overseeing the entire The Walking Dead TV universe, including The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and potential sequels. Angela Kang, who has been a writer on the show since 2011 and co-executive producer since 2013, is being promoted by Gimple to executive producer and showrunner of “The Walking Dead,” starting with Season 9.
Related:
- Lauren Cohan’s Future on ‘The Walking Dead’ May Be in Trouble
- ‘The Walking Dead’ Will Have a Naked Zombie in Season 8
- ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Creator Says Season 4 Will Be a “Different Show”
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