TV
“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” Finally Gives AMC’s Universe Good Viewership News Again
It’s no secret that AMC’s “The Walking Dead” wasn’t the ratings powerhouse it used to be as the main show got longer and longer in the tooth, but recently the network has made the smart decision to dial in on the characters and legacy storylines that audiences do still care about. That’s how we’ve ended up with spinoff shows like “Daryl Dixon” and “Dead City,” which lean heavily on marquee star power to bring burnt out fans back into the universe.
The latest example of this spinoff trend is “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,” which premiered this past Sunday night on AMC and AMC+. The series brings back Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and Danai Gurira’s Michonne, charting the epic love story between the two main series characters and documenting their struggle to reunite amidst a zombie hell.
“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” debuted last week with critical acclaim – Bloody Disgusting’s review hailed the premiere episode as both “exceptional” and “emotional” – and it sounds like it was also a ratings success for AMC. For the first time in what seems like a long time, AMC is proudly advertising the viewership numbers for “The Walking Dead” again.
The Wrap reports that the premiere episode “delivered 3 million viewers during its premiere week, according to Nielsen Live +3 ratings.” The website notes for further context, “These premiere ratings are the biggest AMC has seen for a new show in six years.”
“Additionally,” The Wrap continues, “the first episode of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” is the most-watched episode of any show on the [AMC+] platform. Though AMC didn’t give any specific numbers, the two-day viewership total for the premiere has already outpaced the first week of viewership for any season premiere on the platform.”
“On Sunday, we had an incredible reunion of ‘TWD’ giants: Rick and Michonne — and the fans of ‘The Walking Dead,’ both old and new,” longtime franchise architect Scott M. Gimple said in a press release this week. “Danai and Andy’s mind-blowing work in front of and behind the camera, along with the efforts of a truly wonderful cast and crew was all for an audience we asked to believe just a little bit longer. We’re grateful they did.”
“What a start for ‘The Ones Who Live,’ the biggest episode of television in the history of AMC+ for both viewership and customer acquisition, the top cable drama of the current TV season in key demos and our biggest AMC series premiere in six years,” Dan McDermott, president of entertainment for AMC Studios for AMC Networks, added in the same press release. “This is a show the world, and particularly the incredibly passionate and engaged fans of this universe, have been waiting for and essentially willed into existence.
“Thanks to Danai, Andy and Scott for everything it took to get here and all that is yet to come. We can’t wait to share the rest of this incredible season with the fans over the next five weeks.”
New episodes of “The Ones Who Live” premiere Sunday nights on AMC and AMC+.
This week has brought a lot of confusion about “Crystal Lake,” A24, Peacock and Bryan Fuller’s (“Hannibal”) television series expansion of the Friday the 13th franchise. While reports and rumors spread about A24 pulling the plug on the series, we told you on Monday that that’s not exactly the case. Rather, the project is being retooled behind the scenes.
So what exactly is going on here? Bryan Fuller has taken to Instagram tonight to provide an update. The bad news? Fuller is no longer involved with the “Crystal Lake” series.
The good news? That doesn’t mean A24 is giving up hope on the project.
Fuller writes on Instagram, “Adapting classic horror is something I have some experience with. These shows require a vision that elevates and transforms, as well as delivers what audiences have come to expect, which is an ambitious and risky endeavor. It requires people to take the leap with me.
“When it works, as with HANNIBAL, the results can be powerful for the storytellers and the audience. I couldn’t be more proud of the work my co-showrunner Jim Danger Gray and I were able to accomplish with our brilliant writing staff despite the challenges we faced.
“For reasons beyond our control, A24 has elected to go a different way with the material. We hope the final product will be something Friday the 13th fans all over the world will enjoy.”
A24 and Peacock are now searching for a new showrunner for the series. Stay tuned.
Peacock had given the project a straight-to-series order in 2022, with “Crystal Lake” being described as an “expanded prequel” to the original Friday the 13th franchise featuring both Jason Voorhees and his mother, Pamela Voorhees. Original Friday the 13th final girl Adrienne King had even signed on for a recurring role in the planned A24 television series.
Bryan Fuller was to serve as writer, showrunner and executive producer, with Victor Miller (who penned the original classic) producing with Marc Toberoff, Rob Barsamian, and A24.
Kevin Williamson (Scream, Sick) was on board to write an episode, last we heard.
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