Season 7 of The Walking Dead was uneven, to say the least. After an explosive premiere that took the lives of two beloved characters, the pace slowed down tremendously, with the show meandering as it took its time drawing out numerous storylines. Thankfully, after the mid-winter break, things picked up significantly and the series barrelled towards its conclusion, which aired last weekend and set the stage perfectly for the “All-Out War” arc, which will no doubt make up the bulk of season 8.
Even despite the ups and downs, though, The Walking Dead has still come out on top. Yes, ratings did drop throughout the entire season and also for the finale, but in the end, there were still enough people tuning in to make the apocalyptic series the “highest rated scripted show in all of TV for the fifth year in a row.” That’s quite the feat, and to date, TWD is the only one to hold such a title for that long.
So, all is good and well in the land of The Walking Dead then, right? Well, maybe not. Ratings are falling, there’s no question about it, and if they continue to fall, so too will the show. It can’t hold onto the #1 spot forever if the ratings are on a downward trend now, can it? It’s no secret that the series is far from its heyday, and the numbers this year, while not terrible, certainly reflected that.
Thankfully then, season 8 looks to continue the momentum found in last week’s finale. As mentioned above, we’re now getting into the “All-Out War” storyline and as long as the producers don’t take too many liberties with the source material, it should make for some compelling viewing. If nothing else, it’ll certainly be a much more kinetic and fast-moving arc and hopefully, it’ll result in a boost in ratings, too.
Of course, time will ultimately tell how the show performs, but we’ve got a feeling that the future is still bright for AMC’s prized possession and even despite the unevenness we’ve seen in The Walking Dead lately, it still remains one of the best things on television, without a doubt.
