By now, it has become a well-known fact that the Walking Dead TV series is experiencing its lowest viewers’ ratings to date, and that’s thanks in no small part to the way the show fucked its audience over last season. Yes, this is come-uppance, but it’s not entirely just that.
Now, I’m not defending The Walking Dead or anything – though I have to say I still am watching the show be it out of a strong sense of habit or some other reason entirely –, but we all have to consider that it is, after all, only a TV show. And what’s the most natural thing that happens to TV shows after a few seasons or so? If you said it gets old, then you are damn right. It’s something that’s called ratings attrition, and it happens even to the best shows in the history of television. Come to think of it, I’ve only ever heard of programs becoming more and more popular and then ending at its peak once or twice in my life (The Chappelle Show comes to mind, and that one ended because the main star walked away, not out of the studio’s willingness to do so). Yes, it’s that rare for TV shows to accomplish such a feat.
This brings us to The Walking Dead. Honestly, the show doesn’t have to prove anything anymore. It could end with this season; it’s already a classic. And I I’m not just sucking some Walking Dead dick here. When you think about it, The Walking Dead has maintained an astonishingly high viewer rating since it aired almost a decade ago, only starting to slip off last year. Simply put, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that The Walking Dead should end while the getting’s still relatively good, otherwise it’s just going to end up like any other show out there that fizzled out of existence.
But, to be completely fair, to say that it may fizzle out of existence is still something of an improbability. Keep in mind, The Walking Dead TV series may be experiencing its lowest ratings in its history on air, but that’s just relative to its other seasons. Compared to other shows, it still maintains a rather impressive viewership. So, it’s like saying its earlier seasons were like Michael Jordan in the 90s: worth the hype, and totally milked for all his worth. Starting last season, we’ve gotten the Washington Wizards Michael Jordan version of TWD: it’s not that good anymore, but people will still lap that shit up. Yes, that’s a sports metaphor, albeit one that is dated as all hell.
So, what will happen to The Walking Dead? Well, we can all expect it to not end anytime soon. After all, Robert Kirkman needs more money for his swimming pool filled with Bolivian White. Where else would he and Marc Silverstri hang out? But, whether this is a slump or a downhill spiral is yet to be seen. Though my bet’s on the latter.
