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Screengrab

Down from its former glory, but 'The Walking Dead' is still a hit

The 8th season of the AMC zombie drama wrapped up over the weekend. The show's had a decline in viewership the past two years, but it's still one of the most-watched shows on television.

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KCRW placeholderBy Michael Schneider • Apr 17, 2018 • 4m Listen

Once delayed viewing is factored in, more than 10 million people will have watched the season 8 finale of 'The Walking Dead.' The show is an interesting case study in the world of Peak TV. It was a ratings juggernaut for many years, with devoted fans across the country. The numbers have slipped significantly in the past two seasons--about a third fewer people watch the show today than at its high point. But, it's still a huge, huge hit for AMC--in addition to still being the most popular show on TV for ages 18-49, it spawned the popular spin-off 'Fear the Walking Dead.' Also, a lot of fans left the show after some fan favorite characters were killed off in a particularly violent fashion, but the show aims to take a new creative, less violent direction now.

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    Michael Schneider

    Senior editor at Variety

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    Josef Adalian

    Vulture

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