The Walking Dead Ratings Bounce Upward With Midseason 7 Finale

12/13/2016 01:28 pm EST

The Walking Dead saw the second consecutive week of gains to round out its 2016 run. As Rick got his gun back, the show appears to be getting its viewers back.

The midseason finale, which was loaded with a trio of character deaths and iconic comic book moments being realized for a great critical reception, earned 10.58 million viewers for a 5.1 rating in the key 18-49 demo. Still, the numbers are the lowest for a midseason finale since 2012 and account for a 24% drop from last year's Start to Finish episode which saw the group wandering into a herd of zombies in an overrun Alexandria. Start to Finish nabbed a 7.0 rating.

Still, the consecutive weeks in rising ratings are a good sign for the AMC series which was veering towards 7 digit viewership numbers for the first time since Season 3.

Here is how the numbers have looked so far through The Walking Dead Season 7:

• 7x01: 17.03 million
• 7x02: 12.46 million
• 7x03: 11.72 million
• 7x04: 11.40 million
• 7x05: 11.00 million
• 7x06: 10.40 million
• 7x07: 10.48 million
• 7x08: 10.58 million

In fact, the week to week numbers are the largest increase of the season, which largely saw weekly decreases in ratings following an enormous Season 7 premiere on October 23.

The Walking Dead was tackling stiff competition from an exciting Sunday Night Football game which saw the New York Giants take on the red hot Dallas Cowboys in an NFC East match-up.

Still, the 90-minute episode of The Walking Dead was the number one show on cable with Talking Dead taking second place, once again.

Live + 3 numbers (including DVR viewers who watch later) boosted Episode 7x07 to 15 million total viewers -- proving The Walking Dead is still a powerhouse among fans who may not necessarily be watching live.

MORE WALKING DEAD:

Fat Joey Was More Important Than You Realized / Who Is Creeping On ASZ? / Did The Whisperers Arrive? / Midseason Finale Recap / Internet Reacts To Midseason Finale / Gallery Of Negan's Midseason Finale Kills / Important Fat Joey Detail You May Have Missed / New Season 7B Key Art

The Walking Dead returns Sunday, February 12 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

(via THR)

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.