When “The Walking Dead” premiered to 5.35 million viewers back in 2010, it was a good sign that AMC was onto something, and the viewership only grew from there. The numbers of subsequent premieres kept going up, with the series pulling in a massive 17.30 million viewers for the premiere of its fifth season. But in the last few years, the numbers have been steadily dropping at concerning rates, with the premiere of Season 8 grabbing 11.44 million viewers, considerably down from the previous season’s 17.03 million who tuned in for the premiere.
Those numbers continue to drop, as we’ve learned today that this past Sunday’s ninth season premiere has brought “The Walking Dead” back to its Season 1 numbers. The Season 9 premiere drew 6.1 million viewers, essentially *half* the number of Season 8’s premiere.
That the series has returned to its starting numbers in its ninth season, well, that’s not great news. Especially since Season 9 was heavily promoted as being a “fresh start” for the show. Put in an even more grim context, the Season 9 premiere is now the lowest rated in the 18-49 demographic (2.5) in the show’s history. Season 1’s premiere had a 2.7 rating in the demo.
The Wrap makes sure to note, “Still, The Walking Dead Season 9 premiere was popular enough to make it the No. 1 cable show thus far this season among adults 18-49. It’s the seventh-straight season that claim holds true.”
Regardless of how huge the series still is, when compared to others on TV right now, “The Walking Dead” is one show that clearly seems to be well beyond its best days, even if AMC is insisting that the series still has a good 10 years left in its sails. We’re not so sure about that, and we expect that this season’s numbers are only going to drop even further from here.
Perhaps the impending exit of Rick Grimes will give the show a much-needed boost.
