The ratings for The Walking Dead’s Season 9 premiere were a historic low for the series.
The Walking Dead, which entered its ninth season this week, had the smallest number of live viewers of any season of the show. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the premiere achieved a 2.5 rating among adults ranging from 18-49. This actually puts it below the series premiere, which managed to earn a 2.7 in 2010. It’s also a 50 percent drop even just from the premiere for last year.
RELATED: The Walking Dead: Rick’s Comic Death Will Be Different from TV, Kirkman Promises
This is the lowest viewership for the once-ubiquitous show has been since the critically-panned second season. While the current rating doesn’t account for late or recorded viewings, it’s unlikely that the episode will even come close to prior premieres.
With Andrew Lincoln leaving the series this season and the character of Rick Grimes being subsequently written off the show, the series has to find a way to reengage its viewership.
RELATED: [SPOILER]’s Death Was So Overdue, It Undermined the Twist
Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC, The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.