Once a sensation, 'Walking Dead' is another show

NEW YORK (AP) — At some point, a television sensation becomes just another show. The numbers illustrate how that's become the case with AMC's drama "The Walking Dead."

The zombies are taking a break at the halfway point of their ninth season, following an episode Sunday that was seen by 5.1 million people. The Nielsen company said that at a similar point last year, the midseason finale reached 7.9 million people.

That's a steep drop from the show's high point, the seventh-season opener that reached 21 million people. AMC says a decline is natural for a show as it ages and that more people are watching on a time-delayed basis.