The Walking Dead on AMC

When a television show begins its premiere episode with a cop shooting a zombie girl, exploding her head, the viewer has no doubt about where the show is going.  As I watched the first episode, I was giddy, finally a television series that was respectful of its source material. The overnights are calling it the best cable premiere show ever, and that was on a night when the World Series and an NFL game were also on.

The first episode was a very complete introduction to the zombie apocalypse. Officer Andrew Lincoln wakes in the hospital to an earth in what looks to be total devastation. As he wanders in search of his wife and son, he stumbles into the shambling horror of his new Earth. The how and why of what happened is slowly being revealed, as are pockets of survivors.

In order for this show to work, you have to have 4 things

• Solid characters (yes)
• Great source material (yes indeed)
• An  unwillingness to sugarcoat the more grisly aspects of the story (gulp!)
• A network willing to support it. (It’s not FOX, so…YES!)

The Walking Dead has made an impressive debut. For someone who might not be inclined to view it, I was taken in the very first moments and compelled to watch it in its entirety. The cast was amazing, the script solid, the effects were better than expected and the shocks were done in such a way that I was unable to look away, even when I wanted to.

This is Dome, sayin’: Why is AMC doing better Sci Fi than Syfy is?