‘Walking Dead’ Suffers Another Ratings Drop in Episode 5
“The Walking Dead” saw another drop off in the Nielsen ratings for this Sunday’s episode.
Episode 5 of Season 8 drew a 3.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 7.8 million viewers. That is a drop off approximately 10 percent in both measures from Episode 4.The last time “The Walking Dead” drew a 3.4 rating was Episode 4 of Season 2. The most comparable episode in terms of total viewers is also in Season 2, in which Episode 8 drew 8.1 million viewers. The drop comes despite the fact that this week’s episode was one of the better-reviewed of the season thus far, currently holding an 83 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
This is the latest instance this season of the number one show on television drawing Season 2 numbers. The Season 8 premiere–also the show’s 100th episode–pulled in the show’s lowest numbers for a season premiere since Season 3. Episode 2 saw a drop off of approximately 20 percent in both measures from the premiere, falling to a 4.0 and 8.9 million viewers. Episode 3 then dropped to a 3.8 and 8.5 million, with Episode 4 improving slightly to a 3.9 and 8.7 million.
“The Walking Dead” remains the top-rated show on television, currently averaging a 4.0 and 9.1 million viewers this season. It’s nearest competition is “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS, which is averaging a 3.0 rating in its eleventh season.
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