Thanks to a clever and/or infuriating filming technique, we have to wait a full six months to find out who exactly had a face-to-face meeting with Lucille on The Walking Dead's Season 6 finale. However, according to figures from Deadline, Negan's bedazzled bat may not be the only thing to fret about. Compared to last year's record-smashing finale, ratings for Sunday's 90-minute Dead finale took a surprising dip.
With total viewership on Sunday at 14.2 million, Dead took a "more than 10 percent" dive compared to last season's "Conquer." In the key demographic of adults between the ages of 18 and 49, "Last Day on Earth" pulled 8.8 million viewers for a decline of 16 percent. The Season 6 finale, according to Deadline, marks the series' lowest-rated finale in total viewership since an era that now feels like so long ago: Season 3.
Of course, The Walking Dead is still very much the biggest (and most unstoppable) show on TV. Though Mad Men (very fairly) gets credit for helping AMC usher in an era of widespread critical acclaim in the midst of the so-called Golden Age of Television, The Walking Dead quickly garnered something that Don Draper and company were never built to attain: massive ratings.
Though Rick Grimes and (what's left of) the rest of the Dead crew won't be back in our living rooms until October, AMC is now hoping for a repeat of Fear the Walking Dead's inaugural season successes with the Season 2 premiere on Apr. 10. With any luck, the Walking Dead spin-off's sophomore season will feature lots of swimming zombies.
