With Breaking Bad over and Mad Men nearing its conclusion, AMC is counting on their hit-show The Walking Dead to keep ratings high. So far The Walking Dead has delivered. 16.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the most recent season premiere giving the show an impressive 8.2 nielson rating. In comparison, Breaking Bad’s series finale in late September was watched by 10.4 million viewers.
Many zombie-themed TV shows and movies fall into the trap of repetitive story arcs. For season four, the writers of The Walking Dead were tasked with remastering the fast paced and intense plot that initially captivated viewers. Failure to do so will cause The Walking Dead to fall apart—like a zombie’s rotting flesh.
The forte of The Walking Dead has always been the depth of the characters created by individual personalities. Season four has seen an influx in new characters undoubtably intended to complicate the narrative. However, they do a poor job of adding variety to the current pool of characters.
The newest additions to the prison are boring, and some of them are used only as excuses for certain scenes in the show. One example is a new African-American actor who helps the group on a supply run. He sparks no conversation and serves no importance until he causes the building they are scouting to collapse. The writers continue to introduce characters that only remain for a single episode, killing the momentum of the show.
The one-episode-characters show how the writers are lost and desperate. They have nowhere to go with the story, so they make up characters and then kill them instantly, creating a huge setback for the show.
Yet, the fact remains that The Walking Dead is a majorly successful show. However, there is no denying the fact that the show’s plot has slowed down enough to turn away regular viewers. There is speculation that the slow progress will lead up to a big reveal that will get the show back on track, but as of right now, it needs to step up its game if it wants to compete with other popular shows.
Although there is no way to tell whether or not The Walking Dead will improve, we have a lot of time to see it progress. It remains to be seen if The Walking Dead can get out of this one alive.