Body count -- and ratings -- high for ‘Walking Dead’ midseason finale

The bodies keep coming on “The Walking Dead” -- and so do the ratings.

Sunday’s bloody midseason finale of the zombie smash -- complete with the death of two significant characters -- ate up 12.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

That was higher than any broadcast drama on Sunday (ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” scored just 6.6 million), but it didn’t come close to the 16.1 million record that “Walking Dead” set with its season premiere in October.

Even so, “Walking Dead” remains the top show on all TV in the key demographic of 18-to-49-year-olds and is the highest-rated series in the history of cable.

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Meanwhile, “Talking Dead,” the aftershow for “The Walking Dead” hosted by Chris Hardwick, continues to pile up ratings that are better than those of many broadcast shows. Sunday’s “Talking Dead” delivered a record 6 million viewers.

“Walking Dead” will return Feb. 9.

What did you think of the midseason finale?

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