This past Sunday saw Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes making his exit from The Walking Dead (well, the TV show at least), but it seems the big event did little to reignite waning interest in the show, delivering just a modest bump in ratings.
‘What Comes After’ scored a 2.1 rating among the key 18-49 demo, with 5.41 million viewers. That proved to be a slight increase over the past few weeks, and was in fact the highest since 6.1 million tuned in for the season nine premiere.
However, it’s still season one-level numbers, and the eighth-least watched episode in the show’s history, which must surely be disappointing to AMC given the significance of the episode, and the fact that it featured a number of returning stars such as Jon Bernthal, Sonequa Martin-Green and the late Scott Wilson.
In more positive news, after-show Talking Dead saw a 66% bump in ratings and a 48% increase in viewers as 2.7 million viewers tuned in to see Lincoln discussing his departure from the show.
‘What Comes After’ is of course not the end of the road for Rick Grimes, as it has been confirmed this week that Lincoln will reprise his role for at least three TV movies. However, as the actor has confirmed to The New York Times, it is Rick’s final outing in the series, with Lincoln stating that: “I can categorically say that I will not be returning to the TV show.”
SEE ALSO: The Walking Dead producer explains Rick’s fate
SEE ALSO: Andrew Lincoln regrets Glenn’s graphic The Walking Dead death
The Walking Dead season 9 airs on Sundays in the US and on Mondays in the UK.
Originally published November 10, 2018. Updated December 5, 2022.
