The Walking Dead

First off... I'm a fan of the comic series. Second... I'm not one of those comic fans that get all crazy upset when something doesn't translate perfectly to the small or big screen. Mediums are different and I understand when changes need to be made in order to best serve the medium it's being presented in.

I already love The Walking Dead. I know it's only been one episode at the time of writing this but so far what I have seen has been a good time. Not only is it very faithful to the original comic but the quality of the production is above and beyond what I expected when I first heard that this was coming to the small screen.

For those who are not familiar with the series, it's about the zombie apocalypse. We don't really know how or why it happened because we are learning things at the same time the main character is learning them due to him being in a coma at the time the world went to hell. He's a sheriff who wakes up after being hurt in the line of duty and finds that the world has been turned into a massive horror movie. He's on the hunt for his family and this is his story.

Like I said before, the production value of the series is great as the zombies look properly decomposed and the world around them looks disheveled and broken as you would expect in a world run by the dead. The music is haunting as are the performances by the actors. They are able to be human and act natural even while discussing the subject of zombies.

Above all else, the show and the comic, is a story about people. We see folks at the end of their wits just trying to survive and keeping their loved ones alive at the same time. It's about what people do when pushed to the edge with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel. The dead are here and they don't seem to be going anywhere. It's not a story about why this has happened or a story about how to stop the dead and save the world. They aren't trying to be heroes. They just want to live.

The show is on AMC which has surprised many with it's ability to develop hit shows even when the rest of the tv networks struggle to keep their programming on the air. With hits like Mad Men and Breaking Bad under their belts The Walking Dead seems like a natural fit. They have shown that they can produce quality programming and keep it diverse enough to bring in all types of viewers.

It's good to see some original shows on the air after these last few years. The good thing is that people are recognizing the good writing and even better acting and they are watching. The people are speaking and what they are saying is that we want diverse and quality programming. We don't want the same old formula pushed at us anymore.

We want zombies.