The Walking Dead’s latest episode saw the show receive its lowest ratings since the series debuted back in 2010.
A report from TV By the Numbers relayed the bad news from Sunday night. An estimated 4.95 million viewers tuned in, far from the more than 10 million that watched each episode of Season 8.
Adding to the bad news in regard to The Walking Dead ratings, viewers in the key demographic are tuning out. The October 7 season premiere debuted with a 2.4 rating in viewers aged 18-49. But on October 14, that number dropped to just 2.0.
Forever family. #latergram #twd #twdfamily #nycc https://t.co/uk9E87FPd5 pic.twitter.com/nWFkl0E98K
— Angela Kang (@angelakang) October 18, 2018
Ratings drop a bad sign for TWD future?
There are a lot of big changes coming to the show in Season 9. The biggest one involves casting, as Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, and Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene) are leaving the show. Could this forecast another ratings hit for AMC?
Opposites attract. Especially when they both feel like outsiders. In this #TalkingDead interview, Pollyanna McIntosh (Anne/Jadis) talks about what draws Anne and Gabriel together. What are your thoughts on #TWD’s newest item? Let us know using #TalkingDead! pic.twitter.com/4vbtGX2DCn
— Talking Dead (@AMCTalkingDead) October 19, 2018
Could bad The Walking Dead ratings lead to cancellation?
There is some good news and some bad news in the latest TWD ratings. While the program just had its series low in terms of overall viewers, the key demographic rating is still really strong when compared to most other shows — who would love to have a 2.0 or higher in the 18-40 aged viewers.
This is the one that advertisers look at the most, especially when it comes to primetime television. Even if the overall numbers are down, if the younger viewers keep tuning in like this, there is no danger of The Walking Dead getting canceled.
Next episode of The Walking Dead
AMC has released a sneak peek ahead of this weekend’s October 21 episode of The Walking Dead, and it shows a scene that is going to be pretty important for the characters involved.
The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.