The Walking Dead

Avert your eyes, ‘The Walking Dead’ will showcase an even more frightening variety of walker in the back half of Season 8 – a ‘fully nude’ one.

It takes a lot to stand out in the era of Peak TV, and no one series can resist the siren song of shocking twists. Some lay groundwork more carefully than others, so which major swerves were audiences miles ahead of? From LOST to Star Trek: Discovery, we’ve sleuthed out seventeen that savvy viewers put together long before showrunners intended.

Soft ratings on The Walking Dead Season 8 have raised questions of the series longevity, and we at last have an answer. The flagship AMC drama will return for a ninth season with (most of) its cast intact, though Angela Yang will take over for Scott Gimple as showrunner.

We asked you to tell us what you hate that everyone else seems to love. A few of the responses had me rolling on the floor!

There’s little argument that The Walking Dead began Season 8 with more of a whimper than in previous years, but AMC isn’t putting anyone out of their undead misery yet. New word from the network CEO suggests that the franchise is still intended to last them a few more decades.

Before ‘The Walking Dead’ begins anew with Season 8, we look back on some of the series’ worst deaths and most ignominious ends over the first seven years.

Long before The Walking Dead had us sweating Negan’s first victim, fans were concerned how AMC might replicate the villain’s colorful language. We’ve seen alternate takes on DVD, but it seems AMC may finally allow Jeffrey Dean Morgan to let a few F-bombs drop in Season 8.

The Walking Dead has a grave new threat to face in Season 8. Sure, there’s Negan, the dead and that whole “All Out War” thing, but depth-perception is the real killer. There’s enemies on all sides in new Season 8 key art, and no one seems to agree which way is up.

It’s easy to chalk up ex-Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont’s legal battles with AMC to growing pains, but it’s something else when all Walking Dead producers turn on the network. AMC has been slapped with lawsuits from Robert Kirkman, Gale Ann Hurd, David Alpert and Glen Mazzara, all alleging similar profit-scheming.

The Walking Dead isn’t generally known for practical stunts, but with Season 8 gearing up for “All Out War,” it stands to reason physical action would increase. As such, the unfortunate hospitalization of stuntman John Bernecker has necessitated Season 8 production take a temporary hiatus.

The zombie genre wouldn’t exist without Dawn of the Dead creator George Romero laying post-apocalyptic track, so leave it to those darn spiritual descendants to muck it all up. Romero claims his Road of the Dead has had a difficult … uh, path, given the ubiquity of The Walking Dead these days.

Seven years in, The Walking Dead was bound to conflict with fan-favorites taking other work. AMC’s horror smash usually takes precedence, but according to recent reports, at least three Walking Dead favorites will have reduced roles in Season 8.