10 Years Ago: The Walking Dead
Today in 2010, AMC premiered one of the biggest TV shows of the decade
Happy Halloween, zombies!
When The Walking Dead debuted 10 years ago today, no one would have guessed what a ratings success it would become. The first season had decent viewership, with over 5.2 million viewers per episode. But that number climbed each season, and soon the unthinkable happened: It became the highest rated scripted show on television — a first for a cable series. By season 5, The Walking Dead was eating every other show alive, with more than 14.3 million viewers per episode. (For perspective, the highest rating that Mad Men, another AMC show, ever reached for a season was 2.6 million.)
I have actually seen every single episode of the show. I’m not proud of this, because it’s not a particularly amazing show. But its popularity has always fascinated me. Every episode poses fundamental questions of philosophy — what constitutes intelligence? what constitutes life? does justice supersede law? does the good of the many outweigh the one? what are the essential components of society? And so on. Basically, The Walking Dead thinks of itself as really deep.
Of course, it’s actually not really deep. It’s mostly Ethics 101 wrapped in a zombie costume. But I mentioned the ratings of The Walking Dead at the onset for a reason. Knowing that 14.3 million people think it’s deep makes it interesting. It gives you insight into how our society views itself. The Walking Dead is an oracle for how people (particularly young people) view their roles in the modern world. And lemme tell you: It’s a scary vision. Scarier than the show itself!
Anyway, viewership for the series has been on the skids for a couple of years. Like the classic bell curve, ratings are now back to where they started. An end date of the show has been announced: The final season will air in 2022. At that point, the oracle will be closed forever.
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20 Years Ago Today: OutKast released Stankonia. Today In History reader Rick pointed me to the vinyl reissue, which looks pretty sweet.