The Walking Dead has been on TV for quite awhile now and it has managed to remain one of the most popular TV shows of this “new golden age” of television. If you look historically, you’ll see that most successful TV shows peak at around season 4 and are dead on the vine by season 8. The Walking Dead has managed to buck that trend and is about as good as it’s ever been here at season 7. How long can this last? How long should it last?
The funny thing about The Walking Dead is that I think most people would agree on is that it really peaked in the very fist two episodes. Rick hiding in the tank remains one of the best sequences in the show’s history. That’s not meant as a knock, it’s simply an observation.
Season 2 is perhaps the most reviled season. Just mention “the farm” to a Walking Dead fan and you’re likely to hear exasperated groans. The show peaked in the very first episodes, and then followed up with a lousy second season, but it has since survived and delivered a high quality program since that beginning.
So just how long can this show keep going? It is already venturing into that rare territory occupied by shows like Law and Order and The Simpsons. The Simpsons keeps chugging along despite being largely irrelevant (really has it been relevant since the ’90’s?). Law and Order was always able to keep things fresh and interesting.
If you look at The Walking Dead comic, you’ll see that the show is approaching the events depicted in issue 100. The comic is, as of season 7, up to issue 154. So that means if the comic stopped right now, the TV show would still need a few seasons just to catch up to the events in the comic.
I think the key to keeping the show fresh is in exploring all of the different possibilities of a zombie-plagued world. The show spent a season in the prison, and it’s gotten a few good seasons out of the town of Alexandria. Just looking around at your own town you can see so many possibilities left to be explored.
Personally I’d really like to see what Las Vegas looks like in the zombie apocalypse. Exploring the pyramid-shaped Luxor hotel would make for a great season of the show. A cross-country trip alone could make for a fun season, or trips to other countries like Australia or Japan. An entire season could revolve around a long boat journey.
Most interesting of all, of course, is exploring the cause of the outbreak and if there is some kind of cure. Should that even be looked at? I have a hard time even thinking of what kind of cause of a zombie plague would be that wouldn’t be a disappointment.
