The indifferently-received season finale of The Walking Dead has been unpacked about as much as it can be (which is to say, there’s a lot we don’t know, and the writers might not, either), with breakdowns of the entire episode and audio of the last scene, where Negan’s bat Lucille meets… someone. Surely, with all that hype, including executive producer David Alpert calling Negan one of the “greatest villains ever created in TV,” and Andrew Lincoln adding that his introduction is the “greatest entrance ever written,” the ratings for the finale were ridiculous? Well, yes and no.
Compared to every other show on TV, the numbers are great…
Sunday’s episode of the zombie apocalypse drama pulled in an average of 14.2 million viewers and a 6.9 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic.
…but they’re also a step down for The Walking Dead.
The season five finale in March 2015 managed a massive 15.8 million viewers and an 8.2 rating, meaning the show was down around 10 percent in viewers and 15 percent in the demo.
14.2 million is the second highest rating for this season (the premiere pulled in 14.6), but it’s lower than what season five pulled in practically every episode. Again, those are ridiculous numbers — last week’s episode was easily the number one cable show on TV, and it was the lowest-rated episode of the season — until they’re compared to what The Walking Dead is used to.
The fatigue might be real, and the cliffhangers aren’t helping.
(Via The Wrap)
