Exactly. 10 + million people watching your show is still a big deal.
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The Walking Dead Season 7, Part 2 Sundays on AMC
- Thread starter SamuraiX-
- Start date
Exactly. 10 + million people watching your show is still a big deal.
I mean even if they cut viewership in half they'll still be at like 6M. But I wonder how much it actually starts to effect their profit? I don't really know how that stuff works for TV.
The Artisan
Member
yup. which means they have no incentive to improve the quality of the show as long as the viewership outweighs the criticism.
Maybe, but the drops are only going to get bigger going forward. Every TV show has a shelf life. Audiences eventually tire of everything. They are 7 seasons deep now. The only place to go is down.
Well, I mean, it's not like TWD is in danger of being cancelled haha. I'm sure even at 6M viewers, they would be making serious coin.
The Artisan
Member
for season 8, i doubt it. critical reception to the season 7 finale and this season as a whole has been largely positive. which means the vast majority enjoyed it and will probably return for the next one.
if the reception was in line with last year then yeah i could see the viewership dropping but that ain't the case this year
More_Badass
Member
Doesn't help that this season was so slow and boring. I'm someone who found the overall show ranging from decent and great, and I actually skipped like a quarter of the season, that's how bad it was
While this isn't guaranteed, I'm more inclined to agree with the last line here because of what we know we're getting from the comics.
We know they're not willing to completely separate themselves from that established narrative. They've dug themselves into a hole where the show doesn't revolve around its characters anymore. It's just about "how much time can we kill until we have to advance the narrative?"
And it shows. I don't think it will change until the current Negan arc is concluded.
Expect more of the same and lots of it. Lots of filler. Lots of supply runs, lots of downtime with characters you don't give a shit about.
Where's the character development?
Like I said I dunno how that stuff works really. I'm assuming they would just lower the show's budget in accordance with the viewership?
HeartlessNobody213
Member
The only episodes you need to watch in a season of the walking dead are episodes 1,8,9 and 16. Other than that you're not missing much.
You missed them taking 15 episodes to set up war. So nothing.
That's the problem I see going forward. They are going to drag the Negan plot out over at bare minimum one more whole season. Zzzzzzzzz. Character development hasn't existed in several seasons now. It's just a premiere, followed by 14 episodes of plot machinations to set the board for the finale. Lather, rinse, repeat. I recall the Governor being a well developed, somewhat nuanced character. Now we get trash people, the Kingdom, the seaside community, Hilltop and the Saviors all thrown into the mix, literally dozens and dozens of new characters with barely an ounce of character development to be found.
spazchicken
Member
It's starting to become a little too safe. When someone of significance dies they have to make a huge deal about it and it rarely happens. The final episode, I wasn't even worried for anyone because I knew nothing would happen.
I remember the days of T-Bone and that old dude with the crazy eyes and you never knew who was going to get it next. Glen and Abraham being the exception, I don't get that feeling like I used to from this show.
Also, the show isn't even about the walkers anymore. They're just annoyances at this point. The human element is great but now it's more of a post apocalyptic show and all the horror element and questions and hope for answers are gone, which is only natural after all this time and it's still intriguing but the whole feel of the show has changed a lot from how it started.
RustyNails
Member
Season 8 should wrap up Negan stuff.
Season 9 should be a cold open like the final season of Breaking Bad. Dishevelled, older, broken, alone, hobo Rick with only one hand scrounging through garbage. Also being hunted. We find out how everyone died, including Carl and his daughter. Zombies are not dumb shambling corpses but mutant freaks.
But amc doesnt have the balls to do something like this.
Season 9 should be a cold open like the final season of Breaking Bad. Dishevelled, older, broken, alone, hobo Rick with only one hand scrounging through garbage. Also being hunted. We find out how everyone died, including Carl and his daughter. Zombies are not dumb shambling corpses but mutant freaks.
But amc doesnt have the balls to do something like this.
The Artisan
Member
Then fuck this show, seriously
Yeah, Merle was a mistake as he had no established backstory tied to the comics. He could've been used much better.
I feel like they both died at the perfect time. Don't forget his death was the impetus to everyone else finding out that they were all infected. His death needed to happen to get Rick to fess up about that.
spazchicken
Member
Negan is such a fan favorite, I know they dred that they eventually have to get rid of him.
The funny thing is that the absolute best moments in this season were the bits and pieces of character development sprinkled here and there.. such as Morgan and Carol (her character is fucked almost beyond repair anyway). But I can count those moments on one hand, in regard to S7. And well like you said, S6 for that matter.
I mean just to give people some fucking perspective, SASHA dying was the S7 finale. Who gives a shit about Sasha.
S3 had huge characters dying randomly (Lori) and bombshells throughout.
And for those people who say S2 sucked, I think you've completely missed the point of TWD (even if it wasn't perfect). I hope they one day find a way to return to the glory days when you predicted which character was going to do what in the next episode.
Although S2 suffered from some of the same problems as S7, such as slow pacing and the narrative advancing at a snail's pace, literally that entire season is centered around the characters and how they react within their new world (zombie apocalypse).
If you don't believe me (at thread in general), go watch S2 then S7, or even S6.
That was some of the best shit they ever did.
Sorry for tangent but I'm just flabbergasted at how bad this show got.
Red Liquorice
Member
Did anyone not laugh their ass off when the Tiger jumped in? This show makes me laugh too much to call it hate-watching, it's a friggin' farce comedy at this point!
I couldn't stop wondering why the Trashpeople leader dyes her hair the way she does and where she gets all the peroxide. I guess they stock it up when looting and she gets it done every couple of weeks?!
I couldn't stop wondering why the Trashpeople leader dyes her hair the way she does and where she gets all the peroxide. I guess they stock it up when looting and she gets it done every couple of weeks?!
I haven't read the comics, so I can't speak to Negan's following there, but on TV? I love JDM and all, but TV Negan is so obnoxiously over the top that he bothers me. And not in a good way. I felt the Governor was a much better villain.
spazchicken
Member
I noticed the woman fighting Mashone talked like the leader. Has the fumes from all that combined, decomposing trash and hazardous chemicals fried their brains? Anyone know the story behind this?
It's an unpopular sentiment but I agree. I don't know if it's strictly linear in a season by season case, but by and large the show has gotten worse each season. People shit on the farm and the prison but I'll take that stuff any day over the Terminus, Alexandria, Hilltop, Kingdom, Savior stuff the show has presented the past few years.
Yup. I still believe S2 midseason was one of the very best episodes they've ever done (barn).
More_Badass
Member
Actually rewatched S2 recently and it had a ton of huge moments. The major conflicts were all character driven
The whole Rick-Shane relationship
Shane sacrificing Otis
Finding Sophia in the barn
Rick killing for the first time during the apocalypse
Torturing the captive but Rick stopping the execution due to Carl
The big Rick-Shane brawl
Rick killing Shane and then Carl killing walker Shane
Start of the Ricktatorship
That's another thing. My dad and I talking about that. For all the flaws with the Woodbury/Prison plot, the Governor was at least interesting. He had some development. He had more than one facet to his character. They actually built on the comics, tried to make a human character versus the over-the-top persoanlity in the comics
Negan? Everything's-a-joke, kneel-before-me, Lucille's thirsty Negan? He's always the same. It's not like that's an appearance he puts on for other community to make them fear him. He just is, from his introduction to now. No different with Rick than he is at the Sanctuary
I may be missing some stuff afterwards (I've never rewatched the show), but the last time TWD was "great" for me was the S4 midseason finale (I believe that was the episode) where the Governor killed Herschel, there was a big (and good, unlike the S7 finale) battle, and Michonne killed the Governor. It's never been the same, or as good since for me.
More_Badass
Member
I think S6 was actually pretty great. It moved fast, the first half had a good mix of zombie action, human action, drama with Carol and Rick, while the second halfback introduced new groups, the Saviors, had the group slaughter the outpost, and so on
Comic spoilers:
It won't. Negan is in this likely until the end of the TV series at this point.
It depends on if they want to keep paying JDM (and if JDM wants to do more than 1 more season), comics aren't relevant.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
S2 got shat on cuz it was such a massive change from the first season. In retrospect it was a lot better than what we have now.
That Glenn drop
JDM adores the character. I don't see him quitting otherwise.
(I know it's minor but it's related to the comics, you should be spoiler tagging your response since it kind of gives away what I said originally.)
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
What in the world?
another double whammy with Better Call Saul and Halt and Catch Fire - two of the very best dramas currently on television.
Season 3 had one huge character die randomly. Lori. The only other major deaths that season were Merle (telegraphed to shit) and Andrea, who Glen Mazzara decided to kill for pure shock value.
Season 2 was a dramatically (and developmentally) inert mess.
Carol, whose daughter was the central force of the entire first half of the season, was completely sidelined. She received virtually no screen time or character development even though she had just lost her (albeit abusive) husband and daughter. Her story was ripe for devastating drama and yet they did absolutely nothing with her.
Also, you could say the exact same thing about season 7 - just replace (zombie apocalypse) with (Negan apocalypse).
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
The drop is wildly deceiving - it looks like the show was averaging 17 million viewers and then dropped to the 12-10 range.
In reality, the show dropped from the 14-12 range in season 6 down to the 12-10 range in season 7.
Tiger read the script.
SneakersSO
Member
I used to be a huge supporter of this show, and I skipped this season entirely after watching the premiere. I was just tired of being jerked around by the showrunners, who seemed to have such overwhelming low-confidence in their ability to tell a story that they just pad out, string things along, and cliffhanger any/everything they can. They are more obsessed with ensuring that you will tune in next week to find out what happened that they ignore that crafting a good story would make me want to tune in anyway.
But some of the Season 4 & season 5 material is fantastic, unbelievable television.I can't take that away from them. Its just unfortunate that they forgot how good they can be when they try to tell good stories and instead rely on the nonsense they currently do.
everytime i read walking dead reviews i think tv critics must like anything
Only 50% of this is correct.
I haven't watched S2 of BCS yet, though, so I'm only 50% serious.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Only 50% of this is correct.
I haven't watched S2 of BCS yet, though, so I'm only 50% serious.
It's phenomenal man!
GarthVaderUK
Banned
So about 2 million Glenn superfans gone.
Mr Fahrenheit
Member
Gotta feel bad for the people who are waiting for Negan and the saviors to get wrapped up in short order.
I love Jean Denim Morgan, I'm always happy when he's on screen, but if they want to keep this storyline going much longer they really have to step up whats happening and make it feel more engaging/worthwhile.
The Artisan
Member
well they didn't like the season 6 finale. that partially explains the dip going into season 7 but they liked this finale.
Let me preface this with "S2 and S3 still had big problems".
This is a weird post. You complain about Andrea dying for shock value (which I don't agree with, it was done poorly, but there was really nothing "shocking" about it), but simultaneously complain that Merle's death was telegraphed, implying that it should have been more shocking, lol.
Merle's death episode and the lead up was one of the best things the show has done; he affected so many characters in a variety of ways and his death felt justified and interesting. Telegraphed deaths aren't inherently bad, so I'm not sure why you're using that as criticism. He also had depth and pushed Daryl into lots of interesting development arcs.. of all things to complain about in S3, you chose one of the things it got right?
What..? Carol does go through significant development in S2. There are a variety of scenes where you can see how badly Sophia's absence and loss impacted and devastated her character. The church scene is still probably her best performance (take me instead of my daughter) in the show. Then there was the scene where she rips all of the flowers apart after Sophia's death. Then there was the scene where she tells Daryl to "go on" and hit her. She's, as Merle put it later on, "scared of her own shadow" and still locked in the prison of her husband. Daryl's response makes her realize that she's not stuck in that place anymore, and I think that's one of the first moments she realizes those constraints are no longer in place. The scenes she has with Daryl actually serve as development for both characters. There are other examples as well. I think the impact Sophia had on her was very clear and set the stage for huge development later on.
Literally all of her development in S2 laid groundwork for what comes in the following seasons (her transformation). You weren't paying attention or don't remember.
Wow at that last line in your post. It's like you read nothing about what I said about S2 being totally separate from S6/7. You're really telling me you think the character development accomplished in S2 is the same or worse than that of S7?
TimHortons
Member
For a huge show they need to pull in some serious action coordinators or something because that finale was embarrassing. Grab some people from Person of Interest or something man....