Ratings for the eighth season of The Walking Dead have dropped to first season levels, the lowest in the long-running franchise’s history.
And while the show is still among the most-watched on cable, what’s causing audiences to flee?
FANDOM breaks down five reasons why season eight of The Walking Dead has struggled.
1. Never-ending Conflict
AMC has branded the conflict between Rick Grimes and Negan as an all-out war, but it feels like a drawn-out war. That storyline lasted two full seasons, with both sides taking losses and no end in sight.
And while fan-favorite Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan has been fun to watch, his character is, well, problematic. Negan’s debut was savage and strong, but he’s basically become a caricature. If he had a mustache he’d be twirling it. Getting rid of Negan is the fastest and best way to get The Walking Dead back on track.
2. Too Many Characters
The all-out war has involved numerous factions: The Saviors, Alexandria, Hilltop, the Kingdom, the Scavengers, and Oceanside. And while it makes sense that a war has many players, jumping back and forth between each only drags out the plot. Take Oceanside for example. While we love the idea of an all-female community surviving on its own, the multiple visits have netted nothing but guns – guns that could’ve been found in a stash. And don’t even get us started on the Scavengers, who we can’t even understand.
3. Not Enough Zombies
The title of the show is The Walking Dead, but walkers have taken a back seat to human conflict. On one hand it makes sense. As time passes, communities come together, build walls, and amass weapons to fight the dead. But there’s been more attacks among the living. The undead threat, the horror element that once drove the show, is now gone.
4. Carl’s Death
War has many casualties. So when Carl – one of the original cast members – died of a walker bite instead of in a blaze of glory against Negan, fans felt cheated. Moreover, Carl represented two important things. The first was hope – the fact that a kid could grow up in a post-apocalyptic world and become a leader. The second was family. As Carl lay dying, Rick said everything he did was for him. Now that his son is gone, Rick has lost that motivation.
5. Broken Families
As we just mentioned, family and bonds are important to The Walking Dead. Carl’s death not only ended a father-son relationship, but also the caring mother-son relationship he had with Michonne, and his burgeoning romance with Enid. These were relationships the show built up and fans were invested in. The same could be said about Glenn and Maggie. Even relationships between newer characters – like Aaron and Eric, and Tara and Denise – ended before they are developed. When the show loses those bonds, it loses viewers.
