The latest season finale of “The Walking Dead” and the premiere of National Geographic's “Killing Jesus” both delivered notable numbers on Sunday (March 29).
[Insert facile resurrection/Zombie Jesus joke.]
The three-hour broadcast of “Killing Jesus” delivered 3.7 million viewers, the largest total viewership of any program in NatGeo history. “Killing Jesus” also did the second highest household rating in NatGeo history and did the network's top rating in its key 25-54 demo since “Killing Kennedy” in November 2013.
Check out my exhaustive and amusing coverage from the “Killing Jesus” set in Morocco.
The 90-minute finale of “The Walking Dead,” meanwhile, drew 15.8 million viewers, including 10.4 million among adults 18-49. It was the zombie drama's highest-rated finale ever.
AMC boasts that for the 16-episode season, all 16 episodes ranked among the Top 50 telecasts on all of TV in the 18-49 demo and among the Top 20 entertainment telecasts for the season.
“Talking Dead” drew 7.5 million viewers, including 4.9 million in the 18-49 demo, making it the highest-rated episode in series history.
“”It”s tough enough in today”s competitive environment to command attention, and even harder to hold onto it. So, for ‘The Walking Dead” to maintain this level of urgent viewership in its fifth season – and to end with the highest-rated finale in series history – is really something rare and remarkable,” blurbs Charlie Collier, AMC president. “We”re thankful to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, Chris Hardwick, our fantastic executive producers and the talented writers, cast and crews for delivering another season of unforgettable and engaging television. And to the many amazing people who drive the passion for this program across multiple platforms, I paraphrase (and welcome back) Morgan when I say, ‘All fans are precious.””
Season-to-season, “The Walking Dead” was up 9 percent among adults 18-49.