By Dakota Cantwell

Fans of “The Walking Dead” gathered together to see Rick Grimes off to his new life after the show to give the ratings a small bump for Sunday night’s episode, “What Comes After.”

While the bump seemed substantial, with a 6 percent bump over the prior week’s view from adults 18-49, the season is still finding itself on the lower end of the series run.

Sunday night’s episode drew in 5.41 million viewers, which is up from the previous weeks 5.1 million, but still down from the season 9 premier, which drew 6.08 millions viewers.

There was question about what Andrew Lincoln’s send off would do to “The Walking Dead” as a series, and the ratings drops seems to be spelling out the apocalypse.

However, those who are still hanging in with the show seem to find it enjoyable. The current rating for “The Walking Dead” season nine sits at 95%, higher than the rest seasons. Rick’s send off, on the other hand, has not been received quite as well. “What Comes After” only pulled a 77%, the lowest of the season so far.

The episode ended with a three year time jump, that shows Judith Grimes a little older and whole lot more of a “little ass kicker.”

Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple holds hope that this twist keep viewers as entertained as the series has in the past.

“When people come back for episode six, they’re in for another new beginning,” Gimple said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “The way episode five ended with Little Ass-Kicker being not so little, but still very much an ass kicker…we’ll see these new characters [and how] the world has changed, and not only in just the way it will look, but in the relationships of all these characters and the history that has transpired between the end of Rick’s story [in] 905 and the start of 906. A lot of time has passed.”

The new potential show lead is having mixed reviews by fans of the show, but only time will tell if Judith can rise the occasion or if Rick leaving will signal the end for more than just him.