The Walking Dead's Season 8 Premiere Is The Lowest Rated In Five Years

There is no denying The Walking Dead has proven to be one of the biggest TV shows of recent years. It set records for scripted cable drama and, despite being seven years old, still draws audiences that many shows would be very pleased with. Nevertheless, last weekend's Season 8 opener was the lowest rating season premiere since its third season in 2012.

As reported by Variety, the episode was watched by a total of 11.4 million viewers on Sunday night. This was the fourth worst premiere in the show's history, beating only Season 1 (5.35 million), Season 2 (7.26 million), and Season 3 (10.86 million).

However, it is worth noting that while Season 7's premiere was far more popular, with 17.03 million viewers tuning in, it showed the resolution of a hugely controversial cliffhanger, and the season saw a rapid drop off in viewers. In comparison, there was no cliffhanger leading into Season 8, so it will be interesting to see if viewers fall away further.

The season opener's lower-than-usual viewing figures were matched by its lukewarm critical reaction. GameSpot's Walking Dead Season 8 premiere review stated that the episode "on the whole it felt like a placeholder, something to remind fans of why they like the show in the first place, while hinting at some more interesting developments to come--but not a 100th episode." Click here to check out a full video breakdown of the episode.

In bizarre, related news, AMC is selling Walking Dead branded adult diapers. The novelty item comes after a line in the premiere episode and is available now to order from the official Walking Dead online store.