There was once a time when The Walking Dead was must-watch television, as the early seasons had people absolutely gripped with its take on an apocalyptic zombie-infested world where the humans were just as scary as the so-called “Walkers.” While the show had some people drop off in later seasons, myself included, it’s maintained a loyal following and has become a full-blown franchise for AMC. If you’re interested in re-visiting this popular series or checking it out for the first time, you can stream it now on Netflix.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is the type of series that draws you in instantly with its first episode, which was directed by series creator and first season showrunner Frank Darabont.
Based on the comic series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, this is a distinct zombie-filled world and there’s plenty of atmosphere and interesting characters to get you invested right from the jump. The first season also happens to be one of the best seasons, with the quality sort of rollercoastering after that.
The Cast
The Walking Dead, at first, follows survivor and sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who becomes the leader of a group of survivors in the zombie apocalypse in Atlanta, Georgia.
While Lincoln’s character gives us a central lead to anchor many seasons of the series, it is undoubtedly an ensemble show with a great cast that also includes Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and many more. One thing the show does really well is creating characters who run the gamut from likable and understandable to abhorrent and extremely hateable.
Not A Quick Binge
The Walking Dead also isn’t opposed to killing its darlings, with the heightened tension of essentially anyone being in danger of dying throughout the show’s run. Which is a long tie to maintain tension, because this show went on for a whopping 11 seasons and 177 episodes before eventually ending in 2022. A light binge, this show is not.
Not A Perfect Show
With that being said, be prepared to not love every season of The Walking Dead. It’s hard enough to maintain quality for just a few seasons, but with 11 seasons across multiple showrunners, you have to expect that not everything is going to be great. Personally, I dropped off after the season with The Governor, but generally, most fans like the first five seasons and the last few seasons.
Stream It Now
In other words, The Walking Dead definitely has a lull in the middle of its 11-season run with the sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons only getting middling reviews. I can wholeheartedly recommend at least the first few seasons but you’ll have to decide for yourself if the rest is worth watching.
The good news is, if you really enjoy the series on Netflix and the world of The Walking Dead, as many people do, then you’ll have numerous spin-offs like Fear the Walking Dead, World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live to dive into next.
