‘The Walking Dead’ Ratings Rise in Midseason Premiere

While the numbers weren’t stellar, Carl’s death episode on Sunday finally got The Walking Dead‘s rating trend moving in the right direction.

The midseason premiere of AMC‘s popular horror series delivered 8.3 million live viewers on Sunday nght, with 4.7 million coming in the 18-49 demo, and 5.2 million in the 25-54 demo. This was enough to earn “Honor” a 3.6 rating in the coveted 18-49 demo, beating out the Winter Olympics closing ceremonies.

If you’ve been paying attention to The Walking Dead‘s ratings this season, 8.3 million viewers is certainly something worth celebrating. These numbers tie the highest viewer haul since the fifth episode of the season. Combined with the slight lift seen in December’s midseason finale, things could be changing.

Hopefully this episode can be a launching point for The Walking Dead to start moving back in the right direction in terms of the ratings. The season began with 11.44 million viewers and a 5.0 demo score, but have been stuck in a bit of a free fall ever since.

Here’s how the numbers have shaken out this season:

• Episode 8×01: 11.44 million (5.0)
• Episode 8×02: 8.92 million (4.0)
• Episode 8×03: 8.52 million (3.8)
• Episode 8×04: 8.69 million (3.9)
• Episode 8×05: 7.85 million (3.4)
• Episode 8×06: 8.3 million (3.6)
• Episode 8×07: 7.47 million (3.3)
• Episode 8×08: 7.9 million (3.4)
• Episode 8×09: 8.3 million (3.6)

Fortunately for The Walking Dead, a lot of its viewers show up in the Live+3 numbers. While the live numbers aren’t as high as they used to be, many fans are recording the episode to watch after it airs, or watching on-demand online through AMC or their cable provider.

“Honor” does mark a rise for the ratings this season, but it’s an overall low for the show’s midseason premieres.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. Fear the Walking Dead will debut its fourth season after The Walking Dead concludes its eighth, at 10 pm ET on April 15. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.