This season of The Walking Dead has really driven a wedge between loyal viewers of the long-running show.
The appearance of Negan, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the previous season's cliffhanger and all that went with it in the opening episode of this season - it's been trying, to say the least. However, going on audience figures from the US, it now appears that people are pretty much done with The Walking Dead once and for all.
According to official ratings figures analysed by ShowbuzzDaily.com, The Walking Dead has lost a staggering 6.4 million viewers since the opening episode of this season. All told, it averages out to 500,000 new viewers turning off each and every week. The opening episode began with a healthy 17 million viewers, however it soon took a 25% drop in its second episode to 12.46 million before falling to the figures for last week's episode - 10.4 million.
There's been a huge amount of backlash to the show following the premiere of this season and how it handled the death of certain characters, with many feeling that the show took them out for a cheap ratings' boost. Others feel that the show has run its course and that the painfully slow pacing of the show and constant adherence to the same formula is becoming tiresome.
With just two episodes left for this season, it's unlikely the trend of declining viewers will suddenly reverse. However, it raises questions about the show's future and whether or not it's still feasible to keep The Walking Dead alive (pun intended) with falling ratings such as these.
Have you switched off The Walking Dead? If so, why? Let us know in the comments.
