AMC's The Walking Dead has been one of TV's biggest franchises to date, turning the Image Comics title into a ratings juggernaut. However, over the last few seasons, ratings have steadily declined, though not to a point to warrant cancellation (as the show's been renewed for a 10th season, after all).
But while that audience depreciation could have been attributed to waning storylines and an overall dip in quality, Season 9 has recaptured the magic of the first few seasons, crafting some of the series' most emotional work to date. With that in mind, we have to wonder why the viewership isn't increasing when it seems TWD is finally getting back to its best.
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One of the main reasons for this could be that the show's titans have left. Andrew Lincoln, who played Rick Grimes, long considered the bedrock of the series, departed last season. The actor has even admitted that, despite a movie trilogy being lined up for his character, he feels like he left at the wrong time because of how well new showrunner Angela Kang is shaping the Whisperers and their war.
When Chandler Riggs' Carl (Rick's son) died, a lot of fans also jumped off the bandwagon because it was clear much of the series' original cast was departing, which may have irked fans who were invested in them from day one. Lauren Cohan's Maggie was another departure that longtime fans may not have taken well to, especially as there wasn't much resolution to her arc with Negan over Glenn's death, or how she wanted to shape a future for her son, Hershel. With Danai Gurira's Michonne set to leave soon too, it could be that viewers won't be getting the ending they want with the people they were most connected to.
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But it's not just down to character departures. A lot has to do with how the Negan story was handled. Sure, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is sinister as can be, but the entire Saviors debacle was dragged on way too long, and it felt like then-showrunner Scott M. Gimple killed off any sense of hope and optimism the show had. When you lose that driving force, it's hard to bounce back. TWD didn't dwell too much on the Governor previously, which helped make his stint short but impactful. However, with Negan, fans simply began feeling like the humanity of the show -- its heart and soul -- was being lost.
Reconciling these factors, you can understand why folks may have gotten tired of the rinse and repeat tyrant: Dictators rising and trying to kill or appropriate Rick's alliance, which could admittedly become boring after a while. In short, it just didn't feel like the franchise was treading fresh ground for some time. Now, with the Whisperers and their zombie skin-wearing legion of killers, plus a snowy landscape to come, you'd think fans that left may come back, right? Well, it's still a tough nut to crack given the network TV landscape at the moment.
People are getting hooked on the wide breadth of content coming out of various streaming services. Hulu and Amazon are just a couple examples, not to mention Sundays mean that HBO's Westworld, True Detective or Game of Thrones could be cannibalizing AMC's audience. As for zombie content, Netflix alone has shows like Kingdom, not to mention people may look to binge other comic book-related content, such as The Umbrella Academy. It's simply a case of a lot of material (both film and TV) existing to be consumed. Even if fans do want to come back to TWD, they'll probably binge it later on when the season's done, as opposed to watching it live.
We also need to consider the ratings slump most shows go through at this stage as well. Smallville experienced this exact churn and closed out at Season 10, while other popular shows that were losing big names and struggling plot-wise (Dawson's Creek and Lost, for example) just ran out of steam. It's inevitable, and something the CW's even seeing with its Arrowverse. To maintain that kind of momentum, you really do have to be a spectacle like Game of Thrones, and that in and of itself is a tricky needle to thread.
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Ultimately, TWD is still trudging on, and given what Kang's creative team is doing, we can see it bouncing back in the ratings section. Norman Reedus' Daryl and Melissa McBride's Carol are still kicking butt, and there's a lot more diversity on the show, as we have deaf characters, gay characters and a strong feminist movement underway. Kang has ensured a more cosmopolitan feel going forward, with different ethnicities being represented across the entire alliance. It may take time, but the components are there to bring folks back, it's just a matter of who wants to reinvest and see how this apocalypse is averted.
Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC, The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Nadia Hilker, Dan Fogler, Angel Theory, Lauren Ridloff and Eleanor Matsuura.