When did “The Walking Dead” jump the shark?

[Bears01]

For almost a decade, “The Walking Dead” was an absolute phenomenon and arguably one of the biggest tv shows of the 21st Century. Going head to head against the NFL on Sunday Night Football, “The Walking Dead” was still posting 15M+ ratings on a cable network/non prime time tv channel. 
 

After the S7 premier where two very important characters were killed off, the shows ratings started falling, and then free fell afterwards. 
 

While not always an acclaimed masterpiece, many complaints about the shows quality among casual fans and critics were showing up consistently around S6. Many already said the show was crap the moment Frank Darabont left as showrunner after S1, despite the huge ratings. 
 

When did officially jump the shark in your opinion? 

[Both Sides Now]

I stopped watching in S5. It just got exhausting with clearly no long term plan for the series. 

 

Spoiler

If that is the season when they spent most of it searching for Beth only for her to be killed off. 

 

[Bears01]

7 minutes ago, Both Sides Now said:

I stopped watching in S5. It just got exhausting with clearly no long term plan for the series. 

 

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If that is the season when they spent most of it searching for Beth only for her to be killed off. 

 

That is that season. Oddly enough, that’s when the shows popularity was at its absolute peak 

[Dragonfly]

when they cut the budget for season2 by 20%

despite wanting twice as many episodes

[May]

11 minutes ago, Both Sides Now said:

I stopped watching in S5. It just got exhausting with clearly no long term plan for the series. 

 

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If that is the season when they spent most of it searching for Beth only for her to be killed off. 

 

100%.
 

i remember during this period id be watching the episode and it’d get to the end credits and id just be like ‘…literally NOTHING just happened ?? Wtf’ 

 

it started to feel like they’d spend entire episodes just watching characters do absolutely nothing for 40+ minutes, and it was bizarre how the GP was eating it up.. 

[moxcy]

when they traumatized me and the world for how they killed Glenn

[ConceptD]

For me it was season 6. The season overall was pretty good, but the fake Glenn death and the cliffhanger finale killed the show popularity wise and was a lot to ask of viewers. I endured until the bitter end, but it was never the same after those two events. 

[TalkThatRihanna]

S1-S5 were amazing.

 

S6 is where it went downhill when they casted that scrawny unintimidating person as Negan. Plus the Savior plot itself was so drawn out and boring.

 

They should’ve expanded the Hunters/Terminus plot longer 

[Both Sides Now]

13 minutes ago, Bears01 said:

That is that season. Oddly enough, that’s when the shows popularity was at its absolute peak 

Actually reading some posts here I think I made it to S6. I vaguely remember the Negan storyline. Either way, the whole thing just started to get a bit repetitive. 
 

Having said that, I have a temptation to go back and rewatch after reading some posts here 

[badgirlriri]

The first five season run were excellent, things started going downhill S6 but I still generally like this season. S9 was a repeak I will say though

[XAMJ]

when did a show about zombies jump the shark,, i dunno since it was created?

 

when did it go down hill, whenever glen got his eyeball bashed

[Bears01]

3 minutes ago, badgirlriri said:

The first five season run were excellent, things started going downhill S6 but I still generally like this season. S9 was a repeak I will say though

I couldn’t pick up the show again after S8, the damage was so done and the interest was just gone, but ironically, I did hear from a lot of the remaining fans that S9 was great. 
 

It’s too bad because the show was somewhat salvageable in terms of remaking a force in pop culture after S7, but it was too far gone after S8

[Badger]

When they got obsessed with the N-word. 

[misa amane]

killing beth & glenn was the must dumb choice they could make 

[Josh]

23 minutes ago, moxcy said:

when they traumatized me and the world for how they killed Glenn

I mean that happened in the comics. 

[GentleEarthquake]

How is this thing still going 

[Josh]

Just now, misa amane said:

killing beth & glenn was the must dumb choice they could make 

It happened in the comics it was always gonna happen this way. Agree on Beth though but that was what the actress wanted she wanted to pursue other career options. 

[moxcy]

1 minute ago, Josh said:

I mean that happened in the comics. 

it was the most horrible thing i ever watched (and i watch a lot) and basically torture porn and alienated a lot of viewers, **** the comics! 

[Josh]

Just now, moxcy said:

it was the most horrible thing i ever watched (and i watch a lot) and basically torture porn and alienated a lot of viewers, **** the comics! 

It's a show about the undead chewing people while they alive. None of y'all had a problem when Noah got eaten alive in season 5. 

[Bears01]

2 minutes ago, GentleEarthquake said:

How is this thing still going 

The show or the thread? 
 

The show ended. 
 

The thread: it used to be a massive tv show (like legit one of the biggest ever at its peak) and has a lot of varying opinions by fans/former fans 

[Negev]

Killing Andrea on season 3. Dumb and unnecessary. It kept going worse from there on out. 

[misa amane]

1 minute ago, Josh said:

It happened in the comics it was always gonna happen this way. Agree on Beth though but that was what the actress wanted she wanted to pursue other career options. 

i know but i feel people wouldn't have cared that much about glenn's death if they hadn't faked his death in the same season 

[moxcy]

Just now, Josh said:

It's a show about the undead chewing people while they alive. None of y'all had a problem when Noah got eaten alive in season 5. 

I don't even remember that probably because it wasn't as disgusting and traumatizing as glenn's death, it probably wasn't even close, next!

 

[Josh]

1 minute ago, misa amane said:

i know but i feel people wouldn't have cared that much about glenn's death if they hadn't faked his death in the same season 

That was AMC's fault for abusing the cliff hanger. But it's like you want the show to be faithful to the comics like the fan base has been bitching about since season 2 or you want the show to remain as its own thing. 

[Josh]

Just now, moxcy said:

I don't even remember that probably because it wasn't as disgusting and traumatizing as glenn's death, it probably wasn't even close, next!

 

 

Noah was being eaten by walkers ALIVE in front of Glenn. How is that not worse than Glenn's death. Again it happened in the comics. It was gonna happen in the show