The Walking Dead

This is a very long running TV-show (10+ years) with many seasons. One common view is that the first seasons are great, then it becomes garbage. I decided to binge-watch in 2021 to make an opinion for myself.

What I will say is that season 1 is definitely the fastest paced season, reminiscent of typical Zombie films such as Dawn of the Dead with a simple "escape the undead" premise. After season 1, the pacing becomes very slow (lots of episodes, each 1 hour), and the story drags on and is more about watching the cast settle down in bases/single locations. It becomes a post-apoc survival show.

Personally, I very much enjoyed binge watching this entire show. I even prefered the later seasons than the first seasons. It felt enjoyable to watch a slower paced story of survival and base/world building by the core cast of the show, mainly Rick Grimes and his son Carl. The reason is that "escaping the zombies" and being stressed & running all the time, gets old. I liked the other aspects of post-apocalypse survival themes such as the danger of other human groups (Negan and the saviors, I really liked, the Negan actor is amazing and very charismatic).

One of the common views I read online is that the entire show is amazing if binge watched, as it forms one great story. However it was HELL for the people that watched a single episode per week/month, because often very little happens in each episode, dragging the seasons on forever. But binge watching a season makes for a nice "kick back & relax" TV show to enjoy.

So in conclusion, I would very much ignore the reviews that say "Only season 1 is great" and "anything after season 5 sucks". I would advise you binge watch from season 1, and stop when you no longer want to watch. For me, I just couldn't stop and really started to enjoy the show from season 6 onwards (when the "running from zombies" premise ends).

Overall, no matter one's opinion, one undeniable fact is that this is the QUINTESSENTIAL zombie TV show, with the number of seasons to match. It is simply epic and I cannot wait to see how season 11 concludes this story. Enjoyable through the dead. Just Watch it.

Frank Darabont spent 5 years developing The Walking Dead and was instrumental in establishing the tone, visual style and what the zombie outbreak would look and feel like. He wrote and directed the pilot episode "Days Gone Bye" delivering a unique setup and live action that was compelling and believable. I also give credit to Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Glen Mazzara (all excellent) for continuing to keep the show on track after Frank's departure. The original cast also played a integral role I also give much credit all of them as well as Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse and Angela Kang for their early work.

Series 7&8 were tough, in fact we gave up hope completely and stopped watching. Recently we gave it another go and got through it and series 9 is not disappointing us so far. TWD is back to how it used to be Humans vs zombies with some added dangers! There have been highs and lows but it keeps you hooked. I hope they continue like this.

Everyone knows that the last few seasons of The Walking Dead weren't the same quality as the earlier ones, those early seasons were groundbreaking in so many ways that this series is considered among the best ever. Because of that this show still gets a high rating from me. Like most long running shows, it had its ups and downs but even at its worst it was still the #1 show on cable, in fact it has been #1 every season it's been on the air. The last few seasons without Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) haven't been as good but it at least started to get back to being a pretty good show during this last season. Norman Reedus (Daryl) and Jeffery Dean Morgan (Negan) continued to carry the show after Andrew Lincoln's departure to the point where people looked forward to it again. Having said all that, it was still probably time for it to end.

People can say what they like about The Walking Dead, yes I've watched other shows, and yes I'm aware of The Walking Dead's Falloff. Which is why I'm only focusing on the first 8 Seasons. Those 8 Seasons, well, let me tell you, they were phenomenal. Now let me get it out of the way, yes The Walking Dead is not the best TV Show, I know that, and I also don't think so. But it doesn't change the fact it's my favourite. An amazing cast of characters and Top Notch Acting.

The only thing I'm really sad, or disappointed about is why on earth this show is still going. So I will say that. The Later Seasons (S9-S11) are actually good seasons, it's just that they're completely unnecessary and the show should've long ago at S8.