Whether he realizes it or not, Andy Greenwald tapped into what's long made zombie fiction a vital and fertile ground for stripped-down, character-driven storytelling: A hopeless wasteland overrun by reanimated corpses is the great equalizer. Its lack of preachy racial politics or them-versus-us human turmoil speaks directly to Greenwald's point. In comparison to those shows, The Walking Dead deserves a standing ovation.
On the grislier end of the spectrum, Sons of Anarchy features gangs wholly comprised of various minority groups but most of its narrative conflicts thrive on pitting one race against another-just last week, the white SAMCRO, along with a few Aryan Nation helpers, wiped out an entire crew of black gangsters with explosive and machine guns. ABC's freshman sitcom Black-ish, one of fall's most successful new shows, has an all-black cast but its jokes, many of which are hilarious, are almost entirely based on the black experience. To validate Greenwald's sentiment, take a look at modern television's other racially mixed and/or predominantly black shows. That The Walking Dead does this regularly shouldn’t be noteworthy in 2014. “Dear White People” Director Justin Simien Wants to Change the Way We Talk About MoviesĪbout The Walking Dead's ethnically diverse acting troupe, Greenwald wrote: When Danai Gurira’s Michonne sat with Gilliam’s Gabriel on the stairs outside the church the other week and had a conversation informed by their wildly divergent perspectives, it was one of the few times this year that a cable drama has passed what is essentially a racial Bechdel test: two characters of color talking about something other than a white person.
Two weeks ago, however, Greenwald changed his tune-he penned an enthusiastic love letter to The Walking Dead's present state, titled "Undead and Loving It: How Did AMC's Flagship Show Suddenly Get So Good?" Among other compliments, Greenwald praised the show's racially diverse cast, which in Season5 includes Larry Gilliard's Bob, Sonequa Martin-Green's Sasha, Chad Coleman's Tyreese, Seth Gilliam's Gabriel, and Danai Gurira's Michonne as regulars also, Tyler James Williams' Noah, introduced in Beth's ( Emily Kinney) standalone episode, "Slabtown," and a pivotal figure in last night's ep, "Consumed." Last November, he wrote a scathing essay titled "TV Eats Itself" that included this vitriolic shade: "In the absence of anything imaginative and alive, The Walking Dead has become the poster child for the entire industry, one in which humanity is obscured with latex and guts have been swapped out for gore."
WALKING DEAD ZOMBIE HUNTER TV
Heading into the fall 2014 season, Grantland TV critic Andy Greenwald was one of The Walking Dead's biggest naysayers. Each time Rick's machete literally tore into Gareth's body, The Walking Dead figuratively ripped down the wall previously separating its fans from its critics. West), who initially gave every impression of being season five's Big Bad, was butchered mercilessly by the survivors' now-fearless leader, Rick Grimes ( Andrew Lincoln) in the third episode. Whereas last season's The Governor ( David Morrissey) overstayed his welcome and lost all of his impact, this year's Gareth ( Andrew J. Gimple-now handles its myriad ofcharacters maturely and proficiently, and its multiple story threads, which in the past would've continued well beyond their expiration dates, are being addressed succinctly. The reasons why should be obvious to anyone who's been watching The Walking Dead since day one: Once sloppily paced and tonally schizophrenic, the show's creative team-led by showrunner Scott M. Now in its fifth season, the horror show is currently receiving some of the year's strongest reviews. However, The Walking Dead has risen above the slander.
WALKING DEAD ZOMBIE HUNTER SERIES
Yet before The Walking Dead's current season began early last month, TV critics were calling for the inconsistent series to end. AMC's apocalyptic zombie drama series hasn't exactly been ignored, of course-the show, based on Robert Kirkman's ongoing comic book series, regularly breaks ratings records.
It's only taken four years and 50-plus episodes, but, finally, The Walking Dead has earned widespread respect.
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