With the Walking Dead Season 9 finale, there were more ups and downs in ratings, befitting the title “The Storm.” Since Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan left the series, ratings have dropped significantly. The season finale, directed by Greg Nicotero, reached an all-time low score for any Walking Dead finale ever. In fact, according to Deadline, ratings were down 16% from the previously lowest recorded ratings: Season 1’s “TS-19” back in 2010.
“The Storm” gathered a meager 5.02 million viewers with a score of 1.9 among adults 18-49, compared to Season 1’s finale at 6 million viewers and a score of 3.0 in the 18-49 adult demographic. In fact, the entire season has rated significantly lower than season 8, with 37% less viewers and a 44% lower score in the adult demographic.
Despite these low ratings, one thing the season 9 finale did do well in was garnering more viewership than the episode prior, “The Calm Before,” which was the lowest rated episode in Walking Dead history. It was up by 21% in viewers and by 25% among the 18-49 demographic from the March 24th episode. Also, the show still remains the No. 1 series on cable with 2.44 million viewers, while VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Atlanta takes second place at 1.2 million viewers. This means that compared to the show itself, the ratings have been drastically lower, but compared to all current shows on cable as a whole, it is still holding its ground.
With the tenth season already renewed, The Walking Dead still seems to retain its loyal fanbase, if not its ratings.