The Walking Dead Why do you think this show gets so much hate?

[KDM1986]

People like to hate on things that the majority like. Also people on the internet like to complain about everything. In real life everyone I talk to and know likes the walking dead. That includes people who have and have not read the comics. Millions and millions of people watch the walking dead every Sunday and talk about it the next day at work or school or wherever! I personally think it a great show. So do millions of others! Don't let internet message boards bother you! Just keep on enjoying the dead with the rest of us!

P.S. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

I don't believe everything I read on the internet. I just think the culture of amateur criticism on the internet via boards/blogs/vlogs whatever is very much negative and cynical. Nobody seems to just LIKE something anymore. People don't evaluate works as a whole but focus on one element and pick it apart and tear it down. It's not about works as whole. It's about "I didn't like this ONE thing in particular, so therefore it is bad!"

People tend to latch onto the catchphrase of the week when it comes to critiquing. People often use blanket terms and phrase like "No character development...not original...blah blah blah." Granted many people go into detail and give perfectly reasonable negative reviews but many, many more do not. They don't say WHY so and so needed more character development or if the plot itself works within the context it is presented, despite it maybe feeling familiar. They treat these things as bad without the proper evaluations and context. Not every character in a film needs development. Not every plot has to be groundbreaking. It's about tone and execution. People seem to bypass this and go straight for the blanket terms.

 

[Hyde]

I've seen a few others mention that it misses it's potential.

In what way??

I have a few friends on Facebook that said the show jumped the shark this season. They have no idea what they're talking about obviously.

I think a lot of these people are like my younger sister, they just want zombie killing and gore nonstop. That's why my sister won't watch the show...too much talking.

The show is much more different now than it was in the fantastic Season One, with Frank "Shawshank" Darabont at the helm. I re-watched the pilot the other day and the cinematography, score and acting where all fantastic. The use of silence for much of the episode is greatly missed, imo.

Whenever a zombie(s) shows up I want to feel scared. Not, oh there's another zombie. When a character dies I want to feel sad. Not, oh, he or she is dead. Bummer. However thankfully it seems that Gimple is rectifying the previous mistakes and crafting a much more engaging story

 

[Man in the Suit]

I'm in the minority that thinks season 1 is the worst. It went downhill after "Guts" with the silly Vatos and CDC stuff. The pilot is amazing tho.

 

[Rowsdower!]

A friend of mine said that "every character on TWD is the most poorly developed character on TV."

I don't agree with that at all, not by a long shot. I'll admit that SOME of the characters could use more development, though most of the ones I felt that way about in the past (Carol, Tyreese) are now getting that development, so I really don't have any complaints about that anymore. There are a few minor characters that don't get a lot of screentime, but that's why they are MINOR characters.

And seriously, with some of the crap that's one TV today (Neighbors, Two Broke Girls and whatever the hell that Rebel Wilson show is supposed to be), I don't understand how Walking Dead can be dubbed the "worst" anything. Is it as good as Breaking Bad? No. Does it have to be? No.

 

[Primal Slayer]

You don't become one of the biggest shows by not getting plenty of haters along the way. But them going through 3 show runners in 3 years doesn't help matters. Plus making some characters so naïve to the point of lord knows what didn't help.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Where is the show getting hate? I must not be looking at the same places on the "interwebs".

Yeah in fact I see way too much coverage for TWD with mags lke Entertainment Weekly putting out multiple covers of it's cast, I don't hate the show because I've never seen it I just hate all the hoopla it gets from basically what consitutes is a show about zombies.

 

[Teelie]

You don't become one of the biggest shows by not getting plenty of haters along the way.

Yeah in fact I see way too much coverage for TWD with mags lke Entertainment Weekly putting out multiple covers of it's cast, I don't hate the show because I've never seen it I just hate all the hoopla it gets from basically what consitutes is a show about zombies.

Both are valid points. There's a few shows I won't mention that get way too much exposure and put me off even watching them. Extreme hype and over discussion can be off putting to those who aren't fans.

I like TWD but I won't claim it's perfect and defend it blindly against criticism. I avoid bringing it up outside of relevant discussions too but that's just me. Other people I have seen do that with this and other shows and I can understand being tired of the exposure to it.

 

[insideguy]

the show is what it is, some humans trying to survive in a walker filled world. It's a hard concept to picture going 7 seasons. They obviously are doing their own thing while trying not to leap to far from the comics, and any further changes seem to bring more hate. Eventually everything just becomes rinse and repeat, walkers, bad humans, walkers, bad humans...etc. Unless somehow they decide to start talking a cure and a search for it, not much is going to change, no real end game. But so far the hate hasn't effected it's ratings much, seems to have new records every season, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

I think this pretty much sums it up. Its difficult to continue in the vein. Its the same show as season one pretty much. Zombies attack, people do stupid things, bad people show up, a traitor appears. To me its a fun show but the dialogue between the zombie attacks seems to be mostly filler. Most of the characters have nothing interesting to say most of the time. But they do these scenes to fill up time.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Isnt it like that with most shows? CSI? they investigate a murder, catch the suspect, go over motive, and start all over again the next episode.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Yeah in fact I see way too much coverage for TWD with mags lke Entertainment Weekly putting out multiple covers of it's cast, I don't hate the show because I've never seen it I just hate all the hoopla it gets from basically what consitutes is a show about zombies.

You might want to give it a try, because it really isn't a zombie show. It's a survival show where zombies are one threat among many. The strength of this show is its commentary on the human condition. If TWD tried to build a series with the usual, paper-thin characters in most zombie movies, it wouldn't have made it to season 2.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I don't think The Walking Dead is a bad show. In fact, I think it's a very good show. Is it in the top tier of the very best TV dramas? Not in my opinion, no. But when you look at a lot of the utter tripe getting excreted out by the networks, The Walking Dead leaves it in the dust. But I think The Walking Dead gets online hate and criticism disproportionate to its actual shortcomings, and has a lot harder time than many poorer shows?

Why is this? I think because The Walking Dead is good enough for people to expect better of it, but maybe not good enough to meet those expectations. Because it presents itself as this critically-acclaimed prestige drama and "the best show on TV," and is on the same channel as the likes of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, people hold it up to that standard and thus nitpick its logic faults for not living up to that standard of quality-drama television, rather than compairing it to the action-thriller genre fare that The Walking Dead largely outclasses.

 

[jacobed]

I think people who watch it and dislike it is because of its very inconsistent writing and underdeveloped/inconsistent characters. I've marathoned this show and enjoy it quite a bit but it can be hard to watch at times.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

A friend of mine said that "every character on TWD is the most poorly developed character on TV."

I don't agree with that at all, not by a long shot. I'll admit that SOME of the characters could use more development, though most of the ones I felt that way about in the past (Carol, Tyreese) are now getting that development, so I really don't have any complaints about that anymore. There are a few minor characters that don't get a lot of screentime, but that's why they are MINOR characters.

And seriously, with some of the crap that's one TV today (Neighbors, Two Broke Girls and whatever the hell that Rebel Wilson show is supposed to be), I don't understand how Walking Dead can be dubbed the "worst" anything. Is it as good as Breaking Bad? No. Does it have to be? No.

You should tell your friend that his/her logic is flawed so there is no argument. How can every character be the most poorly developed character on TV?

 

[Lead Cenobite]

The way I see it, there's hardly any show or movie that people don't complain about. I've seen people complain about Breaking Bad's last season, saying the villains were cartoonish and simplistic. When Walking Dead started out, literally everyone was gushing about it to no end, but then something happens, a character dies or a character does something they don't like and all the sudden the writers are all idiots.

 

[TX85]

I think the main issues are many people want all action&horror than drama and hipsters exist..But I can understand why some may have a problem with the stories&characters too.

I however don't give a damn what people think,It's been one of my top current shows since S1!!

 

[Infinity9999x]

The show is much more different now than it was in the fantastic Season One, with Frank "Shawshank" Darabont at the helm. I re-watched the pilot the other day and the cinematography, score and acting where all fantastic. The use of silence for much of the episode is greatly missed, imo.

Whenever a zombie(s) shows up I want to feel scared. Not, oh there's another zombie. When a character dies I want to feel sad. Not, oh, he or she is dead. Bummer. However thankfully it seems that Gimple is rectifying the previous mistakes and crafting a much more engaging story

I would agree with this. Season 1 was much better in terms of quality than the following seasons.

In addition to this, the biggest factor for me is simple:

The comic is better is almost every respect.

After season 2 of TWD, I started reading the comic book, and I realized why so many people were annoyed at the plodding pace of Season 2. There are very few changes I actually like more than what the comics did for this show. I could start listing specifics, but honestly, the list would just be too long. When it comes down to it, the biggest problem with the show vs. the comic are the stakes.

The comic was very much GOT-style in terms of it's storytelling. No one was safe from death, except Rick. Basically everyone was at risk of dying, it didn't matter how cool that character was or how much of a main player they were, they could, and would, die. The show hasn't had the balls to live up to that kind of storytelling yet. They got closer with the mid-season finale, but even then, if they were going to do the equivalent shock-value that the comic had for that moment, it wouldn't have been Herschel under the Governor's sword, it would have been Daryl. (Who is equivalent to the character that got offed in the comics for that moment).

When you adopt the "no one is safe" kindof story-telling, the fear is always there. And that is how you SHOULD feel with this kind of show. You should honestly be worried every time a character is in a dangerous situation. But because of how this show has been written, I'm not. In the comics I'm constantly at the edge of my seat. The show desperately needs that kind of tension.

That said, I still enjoy this show quite a bit. But after reading the comics, I'm much harsher in my assessment of it, because I've seen how amazing it could be.