'The Walking Dead' Ratings Hold Steady With Episode 8x12

The ratings for The Walking Dead held steady week over week with its new episode on Sunday night.

Sunday's Episode 8x11, titled, "Dear or Alive Or," pulled in a 2.8 rating in the key 18-49 demographic with 6.6 million viewers in Nielsen Live+Same Day numbers. It was a mild dip from the 2.9 rating and 6.8 million viewers the week before it had totaled in the same timespan.

Still, The Walking Dead was the top rated show on Sunday night with its biggest competition coming from its own recap show as Talking Dead finished in second place.

The last time The Walking Dead put up a 2.8 rating or less was in 2010 during its fix-episode first season. The Mid-Season premiere was the lowest-rated since Season Two's Mid-Season premiere followed the drama of Sophia walking out of the barn. At the time, The Walking Dead was in the midst of a massive rise in ratings which would peak at more than 17 million for a single episode.

Episode 8x09, which showcased Carl Grimes' death, earned a 3.6 rating with 8.3 million viewers.

Here is how the ratings have played out over the course of the season:

• Episode 8x01: 11.44 million (5.0)
• Episode 8x02: 8.92 million (4.0)
• Episode 8x03: 8.52 million (3.8)
• Episode 8x04: 8.69 million (3.9)
• Episode 8x05: 7.85 million (3.4)
• Episode 8x06: 8.3 million (3.6)
• Episode 8x07: 7.47 million (3.3)
• Episode 8x08: 7.9 million (3.4)
• Episode 8x09: 8.3 million (3.6)
• Episode 8x10: 6.8 million (2.9)
• Episode 8x11: 6.6 million (2.8)

The episode featured a slew of characters, staging several storylines which will come together for the conclusion of the long-running All Out War story. Episode 8x11, however, was the first episode of The Walking Dead's eighth season to be completely without Andrew Lincoln and his Rick Grimes character.

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.

(via Variety)