AMC’s The Walking Dead may have claimed the No. 1 spot among original cable shows airing Sunday night, but the zombie drama is beginning to display signs of flatlining. In fact, ratings for the adaptation’s latest episode reached a six-year low for the series.
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According to TV by the Numbers, the fifth episode of Season 8, “The Big Scary U,” pulled in only a 3.4 rating among adults aged 18-49, with 7.85 million overall viewers. The latter amount reflects the smallest audience garnered by the network’s previously bulletproof powerhouse since the penultimate episode of Season 2 in March 2012.
Unfortunately for AMC, Sunday’s figures are not an anomaly, as the series has seen a rapidly declining viewership the current season debuted last month. The Season 8 premiere hit a five-year low in audience viewership, and the second episode of the season, “The Damned,” also dipped to a 4.0 Nielsen rating.
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Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC, The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee, Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.