The declining ratings for AMC's The Walking Dead get a lot of press, but at this point it remains the top-rated show on cable, drawing in over 4 million viewers and earning a 1.6 share among its key demographic even for its lowest rated episode. Less than 1 percent of shows that air during primetime even reach 1.0 share. So while the ratings may be low compared to the heights the show has reached before, it's still doing very well when compared to every other show.
In all of television, the only series currently doing better than The Walking Dead is NBC's This Is Us.
AMC is so happy with the performance of The Walking Dead and its recently revamped companion series Fear the Walking Dead that they are moving forward with plans to continue expanding the franchise.
During a conference call with media analysts and reporters, the network's chief operating officer Ed Carroll confirmed that a third Walking Dead series in the works. He said,
That is in active development. We're not yet at a stage where we'll be announcing its plans to premiere. But we have hired creative people that have pitched story outlines. We feel very good about the development of that series."
There's no word on what exactly this show would be about, but there are a lot of options. It could follow characters we've met before, it could introduce new characters in different parts of a world overrun by zombies. The only thing that's clear at this point is that there is plenty more Walking Dead to come.
The Walking Dead is currently nearing the end of its ninth season, with a tenth already ordered. Fear the Walking Dead's fifth season will begin airing later this year. A trilogy of feature films that will follow Andrew Lincoln's character Rick Grimes are also in the works.