The Walking Dead fans were left traumatized when Negan and Alpha got down and dirty in the midseason premiere of the post-apocalyptic show this past weekend, but it seems the shocking sex scene actually helped to raise ratings to higher numbers than they’ve been all season.
As per Deadline, the ninth episode of season 10, titled “Squeeze,” was up by 9% across the general audience over the midseason finale that aired before the winter break, as well as 17% higher in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Overall, the episode sported a 1.2 rating in the demo and 3.5 million pairs of eyeballs tuned in to see Negan locking lips with Alpha while she wore nothing but her zombie skin mask – oh yeah, and her socks, too.
These numbers mean “Squeeze” is the highest-rated episode since season 10 began. While that’s cause for celebration, it has to be said that – on the flip side – it also stands as the lowest-rated midseason premiere the show’s ever had. Back in February 2019, the mirroring episode earned a whole 40% more viewers, so that just goes to show how much the ratings have slid over the past 12 months.
The aforementioned sex scene between the former Savior leader and the Whisperer queen came about after Negan had told Alpha about Gamma’s betrayal. She took him into the woods to give him his reward. It looked like Negan was being walked to his death, but soon things took an unexpected turn and the pair had stripped naked. Who knows what this means for their partnership for the remainder of the season, given that things ended very differently between them in the comics.
AMC has previously made clear its faith in The Walking Dead brand though, so there’s no need to fret over these ratings. In fact, following season 10’s conclusion. we’ve got new spinoff World’s Beyond, more of Fear, Andrew Lincoln’s theatrical movie and season 11. And now the network knows how to give the figures a boost – just drop a weird sex scene into the mix.