What Lies Ahead on AMC. It received 7.3 million viewers and attained a 4.8HH rating, breaking the record for the most-watched drama in the history of cable television. It received the second highest viewership of the week ending October 16, scoring higher than "Jersey Shore" but less than a 2011 NFL season game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. "What Lies Ahead" achieved similar feats, attaining a 3.8 rating—translating to 4.8 million viewers—in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. In the 25–54 demographic, it garnered 4.2 million viewers. Total viewership after two encore presentations was 11 million viewers, an increase
What Lies Below was a "pretty cool" mystery-of-the-week, and "while not quite as strong as when the mythology is in full gear, 'What Lies Below' was nonetheless a compelling hour of television." He was however bothered that there was no further information about the parallel universe. UGO Networks writer Alex Zalben compared "What Lies Below" to the similarly-plotted "The X-Files" episode "Ice". Zalben concluded, "Though both episodes are very good, 'Ice' is one of the best "X-Files" hours ever, perfectly channeling – but not ripping off – John Carpenter's "The Thing"." Director Deran Sarafian submitted "What Lies Below" for consideration in the Outstanding