Beyond The Walking Dead season 8, how long can it last on AMC?
Let’s just keep this basic for starters: Eight years is a LONG time to produce any show, especially one where the characters are in a constant sort of despair. This is also show that has put almost everyone through varying degrees of hell, and one of the problems with that is that there is no end in sight. For a while, you did have a possible out in the form of Eugene, who made it clear that he could have a way in which to deliver a cure courtesy of some experimental research in Washington DC. Unfortunately, he was lying and since then, there’s been no hope.
We don’t necessarily think that The Walking Dead needs hope, given that it’s the sort of show that is really all about a perpetual state of horror and despair for its characters. It’s also about survival, and considering the recent circumstances/Negan there’s not any sign that things are going to get any better. What the show does need, however, is a further sense as to where it’s going at this point. The ratings are starting to fall, the critics were rough on season 8, and with Game of Thrones inching ever closer to its numbers, it’s starting to lose a little bit of its commercial foothold. The HBO series show benefited from announcing an end date, and we think the same could be said here.
So … when should it be? Were we having it our way, we’d say that season 10 is the right time to close down the zombie factory. Regardless of how long the comic runs, this story needs an end before many of the casual fans leave (the diehards can still read the comics), and it also could benefit from adding that sort of dramatic tension to the story. People are more inclined to stick to something when they know there is a horizon in sight and the show’s still good along the way — this helped Breaking Bad, and you want it to help here.
An end date also helps to ensure that it keeps the majority of your cast around for however long they want to work on this, given that ten years is a huge part of someone’s life, and this is a very time-consuming job that displaces people and puts them into super-hot conditions for many months out of the year. Eventually, people could want to move on.
Could the show beyond season 10? Sure, but we encourage AMC not to get too greedy here. End while the show is still a smash hit, and not before things really start to fade and the show becomes subject to “oh, that’s still on?” jokes that frustrating hipsters like to make.
How long do you think The Walking Dead is going to last beyond season 8? Let us know below!
Also, head over here in the event that you do want to get some other news right now when it comes to the show, including the latest trailer for the show’s return as teased at Comic-Con. (Photo: AMC.)