By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --It’s hard to miss the message from the season premiere of “The Walking Dead”: blood pays off.
The gory episode of the popular AMC drama was seen by just over 17 million viewers on Sunday night, the Nielsen company said. That left it short of the 2014 season premiere of 17.3 million for most-watched episode of the series ever, but AMC believes that when additional digital and delayed viewing is added in, this season’s opener will be the all-time champ.
When last season’s opener drew 14.6 million people, there were whispers that “The Walking Dead” was fading in appeal. But a good, old-fashioned cliffhanger – who did Negan kill? – paid off handsomely in interest.
Among the 18-to-49-year-old audience that advertisers love, “The Walking Dead” reached 10.7 million people. Prior to Sunday night, the season’s most-watched scripted show among that youthful demographic was the 6.5 million who saw the season premiere of “The Big Bang Theory.”
Even for a zombie apocalypse program not known for its gentility, Sunday’s episode stood out for blood ‘n’ guts. Avert your eyes, those who haven’t seen it and don’t want their anticipation spoiled: Negan bludgeons Abraham and Glenn with a spiked baseball bat.
Come to think of it, you might want to avert your eyes anyway.
The episode “was one of the most graphically violent shows we’ve seen on television, comparable to the most violent of programs found on premium cable networks,” said Tim Winter, president of the Parents Television Council.
AMC’s postgame show, “Talking Dead,” had its biggest-ever audience among people wanting to dissect the opener.
CBS scored another easy victory in prime time, averaging 9.9 million viewers for the week. Second place NBC, with 7.7 million viewers, won among the 18-to-49-year-old crowd. ABC averaged 5.4 million viewers, Fox had 3.1 million, Univision had 1.8 million, Telemundo had 1.6 million, the CW had 1.5 million and ION Television had 1.2 million.
Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 3.21 million viewers in prime time. AMC had 2.172 million, CNN had 2.169 million, ESPN had 2.14 million and MSNBC had 1.78 million.
The evening news competition had another virtual dead heat: ABC’s “World News Tonight” averaged 7.99 million viewers and the “NBC Nightly News” had 7.97 million. The “CBS Evening News” averaged 6.4 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Oct. 17-23. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Seattle at Arizona, NBC, 17.71 million.
2. “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 17.03 million.
3. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 15.99 million.
4. “NCIS,” CBS, 14.77 million.
5. NFL Football: Chicago at Green Bay, CBS, 14.202 million.
6. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.196 million.
7. “Bull,” CBS, 12.29 million.
8. “Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick,” NBC, 12.01 million.
9. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 11.4 million.
10. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 11.38 million.
11. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 10.55 million.
12. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 10.54 million.
13. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 10.03 million.
14. Major League Baseball NLCS: Los Angeles at Chicago, Game 6, Fox Sports, 9.706 million.
15. “This is Us,” NBC, 9.705 million.
16. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 9.53 million.
17. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 9.51 million.
18. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 9.15 million.
19. “Madam Secretary,” CBS, 9.04 million.
20. “Presidential Debate Analysis,” Fox News Channel, 8.66 million.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More