The ratings for the premiere look bad when looked at in a vacuum. 6.1 million total. Less than half the S8 premiere, and down 23 percent from the S8 finale.
But looked at in totality, the fall ratings overall are down double digits across the board, as live viewing continues its downward trend. And in the young Fall season, it was still #1 show in the 18-49 demographic on cable, and #2 only to the This is Us premiere.
The article did also note that AMC's streaming service, AMC Premiere had it's highest single-day signups ever on Sunday, and that AMC cares most about Live + 3 Day ratings.