The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is an action-drama-horror zombie apocalypse television series that first aired in October 31, 2010 and is based on the comic book series of the same name.

Summary
Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins during a zombie apocalypse, and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The actors and their performances are outstanding and beyond wonderful as they give some strong performances, such as from Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callie, Chandler Riggs, etc.
 * 2) The idea of a television series about characters trying to survive a zombie apocalypse is very original.
 * 3) It is incredibly faithful to the comic book its based on, aside from some changes.
 * 4) Each and every one of the episodes are nicely-written and well-developed.
 * 5) The cinematography and camera angles is wonderful, well-shot and has a mysteriously creepy tone to it.
 * 6) Well-done character development, especially from Carl Grimes who went from a nervous, shy little boy to a tough, head-strong teenager who can take a challenge.
 * 7) Likable and interesting characters, such as Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Carol and many others.
 * 8) The show doesn’t revolve only around the zombie apocalypse, it can sometimes manages to take on some real-life issues and problems that can make the characters more relatable to the audience.
 * 9) Many well-executed funny, serious, sad, action-packed, powerful and/or heartwarming moments throughout the entire series.
 * 10) The deaths of several of the main characters can be very heartbreaking.
 * 11) Lots of really disturbing moments like when Rick gets four phone calls from four anonymous people only to find out that they are four characters who were a part of Rick's group that had all died including his wife, Lori. Essentially revealing that he's losing his mind.
 * 12) The environment is wonderful and goes great with the tone of show.
 * 13) All of the characters share amazing chemistry with each other.
 * 14) It has a spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, that was just as good.
 * 15) Though it’s a horror fiction, it can have some very realistic and relatable moments here and there.
 * 16) Unlike most long-lasting shows, this one managed to go through 11 seasons with little to no seasonal rot.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) AMC has a habit of meddling in and changing or removing certain ideas. This includes most of Season 2 (BQ #5), the death of characters like Andrea, a character who plays a much bigger role in the comics and eventually becoming a love interest to Rick, being killed off in the 3rd season (all to subvert veterans expectations) and Carl as he was supposed to grow up as an older adult and fulfill his father's legacy in the comic's final issue, but was killed off due to drama between Chandler Riggs and AMC, and more.
 * 2) Characters like Tyreese and Negan are not as fleshed out as they were in the comics.
 * 3) There are some filler episodes, which became most prevalent in the lead up to the war between Rick and Negan.
 * 4) Season 2 was pretty boring mainly because the characters hardly did anything. Although it was explained that this was because AMC didn't want to spend as much money as they spent on the previous season, which also lead to the firing of Frank Darabont due to him protesting against this.
 * 5) The violence and gore can be very disturbing for some people, especially with Glenn’s death.

Trivia

 * In the United States, the series premiere of the show, "Days Gone Bye" achieved a viewership of 5.35 million, making it the most-watched series premiere in it's network's history. The episode garnered a Nielsen rating of 2.7 in the 18–49 demographic, translating to 3.6 million viewers. It is also one of the highest rated premires on AMC alongside the series premire of The Killing, which premired in April 2011 and drew 2.7 million viewers and a 2 household rating.
 * Following the show's success and popularity, AMC have expanded the series into related media, such asseveral webisodes and video games. AMC announced plans for three films to follow Rick's story after Lincoln's departure. In 2020, two further spinoffs were announced: one focused on Reedus's and McBride's characters, and an anthology series to feature individual character backstories. The show recieved two spin-offs, Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Fear the Walking Dead premired on August 23, 2015, recieved mixed-to-positive reviews and is the second longest series in this franchise, while The Walking Dead: World Beyond premired on October 4, 2020 and was cancelled on December 5, 2021, making it the shortest-ran show among the three. However The Walking Dead: World Beyond wasn't well recieved neither by critics nor fans.