Top 10 Things That Lead to the Rise and Fall of The Walking Dead
#10: Unique & Terrifying Zombies RISE
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The walkers made a huge impression when they first stumbled onto the screen. They looked gruesome, sounded terrifying, and felt like they could exist as a threat in the real world. And unique walkers like the bicycle woman showed the creators could remix the traditional look of the undead creatures we were used to. The combination of mind-blowing makeup and great acting from the people playing walkers immediately drew us into this new world. “Walking Dead’s” zombie effects were so good that the show won two Emmys for outstanding achievement in prosthetic makeup. The amount of effort it took to create these walkers had us coming back every episode to see what the crew would come up with next.
#9: Small & Relatable Stakes RISE
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“Walking Dead’s” first episode finds Rick Grimes waking up from a coma in the midst of the zombie apocalypse. After finding his wife, son and best friend are part of a group of survivors, Rick tries his best to keep them all together as the world around them falls apart. This simple setup allowed for a lot of complex drama. It was fascinating to watch Rick and his crew grapple with whether they were doing right by the world, and each other, while trying to survive. They made us question what we would do if we were in their shoes. The series’ commitment to exploring the moral and practical problems of a zombie apocalypse immediately made the show compelling.
#8: Casting Relatively Unknown Actors RISE
Before 2010, casual audiences probably wouldn't have recognized most of the cast. While some people may have remembered Norman Reedus from “Boondock Saints” or seen Andrew Lincoln in “Love Actually”, the show is full of relatively unknown actors. Since the cast wasn’t that recognizable, it was easier for fans to see the actors as the characters they portrayed. It really felt like Norman Reedus was the capable and dirt-covered Daryl. The actors were so tied to their characters that the show felt more like a documentary than a fictional drama. And it also didn’t hurt that all the actors were extremely talented. By relying on great unknowns, the creatives gave us a fantastic cast that we could easily get invested in.
#7: Richonne RISE
When Michonne first appeared on the show, she was presented as a cold, katana-wielding walker slayer. While she was always dynamic in a fight, her character’s reluctance to show vulnerability made her personality feel static and underdeveloped. But everything changed when Michonne started dating Rick. Fans finally got to see the gentle and loving side of her character. Seeing Michonne balance her responsibilities as a mother, with her duty to cut down enemies that threatened her family, made her feel more three-dimensional. Her relationship had the added bonus of softening the harder edges Rick had developed over the series. Overall, the adorable Richonne ship gave a lot of humanity to the characters who needed it the most.
#6: Departing From the Source Material RISE
While the show began as a nearly shot-for-shot adaptation of the comic, the creators didn’t hesitate to make some significant changes. Instead of abruptly being killed off, Rick's best friend Shane stirs up trouble throughout season 2. Carol also survives the prison arc that claimed her comic book counterpart. And despite never appearing on the page, Daryl Dixon was created to break hearts and perform badass feats on the show. These changes kept comic book fans engaged because they couldn’t predict what would happen next. And Daryl and Carol became so popular to all audiences, that the duo is getting a spin-off show. These relatively small departures from the source material had hugely positive payoffs for the series.
#5: Frank Darabont Leaving the Show FALL
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Former showrunner Frank Darabont spent years developing the first season of the “Walking Dead”. Fans have him to thank for the show’s unique cinematography, grim tone, and the unforgettable pilot episode. But after Darabont clashed with AMC over budgetary and creative issues, he and the network had a nasty breakup even before season two aired. While it’s hard to say how different the show would’ve been if he stayed, his firing definitely had one major negative effect. Jeffrey DeMunn, who played the moral compass character Dale, demanded his character be killed off in the wake of Darabont’s firing. The loss of a major character and its showrunner so early on wasn’t a great omen for “The Walking Dead”.
#4: Creating Slow & Overstuffed Plotlines FALL
As “The Walking Dead” seasons got longer, the writers were tasked with stretching out overarching plotlines while keeping things interesting. But despite their best efforts, a decent number of episodes failed to develop characters or push the plot forward. The slow pace of the story only got worse as the cast ballooned. While the show only followed Rick’s crew in season 1, fans today have to keep track of the names and motivations of everyone in Alexandria, Oceanside, and Hilltop. They also have to familiarize themselves with the Whisperers and every new character that appears. The sheer cast size, and slow pace, can make episodes a chore to get through. Watching a zombie show shouldn’t require a glossary of characters and a cup of coffee.
#3: Too Many Fake-Out Deaths FALL
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A good fake-out death can shock the audience while giving them a deeper appreciation for the character they thought was lost. But if this story technique is used too often, viewers start to resent the writers for constantly tricking them. Audiences will also have trouble believing that people can actually die. While nearly every main character has experienced a couple fake-out deaths, the king of false demises is Glenn. After nearly killing him off half a dozen times, the writers tried to convince us he was dead for three episodes before revealing he was hiding under a dumpster. While fans were relieved to see him, they were still frustrated with the writers for their overreliance on this cheap scare tactic.
#2: The Negan Cliffhanger FALL
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Remember what we said about fake-out deaths? Well, the season six finale left fans with the most infamous one of the series. In the final minutes, Negan plays eeny, meeny, miny, moe to determine who he will dispatch with his bat. But just as his victim is about to be revealed, the screen cuts to black. Fans were infuriated they had to wait until next season to find out who perished. And to add insult to injury, Abraham and Glenn were both killed off in tremendously violent ways in the season seven premiere. The reaction was so negative that future episodes were re-edited to tone down the brutality. But for some fans, “Walking Dead” had already crossed a line. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. RISE: Expanding Zombie Lore Concepts Like Zombie Camouflage Became Popular FALL: Andrew Lincoln's Departure From the Show Fans Weren’t Ready to Let Rick Go RISE: Rick vs. Shane The Conflict Between Best Friends Was Engaging and Tragic FALL: Humans Became the Main Villains The Human Antagonists Started to Get Stale RISE: Short Seasons Shorter Seasons Made for Tighter Storylines
#1: Carl’s Death FALL
No matter how bleak things looked for Rick, his son Carl always gave him bright hope for the future. But that light faded in season 8. After being bitten during the saviors war, Carl chose to end his life in the midseason premiere. This shocking twist had disastrous consequences for “The Walking Dead’s” public opinion. The episode that followed the midseason premiere had two million fewer viewers. And while the series has tried to replace him with young characters like Henry and Judith, they haven’t been able to fill the void that Carl left. His death was ultimately a major loss the show never fully recovered from.
