Make or Break night for Fear the Walking Dead’s premiere
By Nir Regev
Fear the Walking Dead has high stakes going in tonight against competition that features the NBA Finals and WWE Extreme Rules. Every scene will count.
Make no mistake, tonight’s inaugural episode for Fear the Walking Dead’s third season is make or break… And the competition will be strong, capable, and going for largely the same target demographic. It’s New Year’s Day for the show, the hype shine of a fresh start. The question is will fans stick with the ‘gym’ past January? Now in its third season, original Walking Dead fans have more or less decided what they think of Fear.
Many loved it, while others never watched again, and some were in-between. The worst place to be in, limbo, apathy, no-man’s land. Good enough to catch an episode or two, but not dedicated enough to stick through an entire season. ‘I’ll watch it someday on Hulu’, does not exactly spark cartoon worthy dollar signs in advertiser eyes, but it’s something.
New Year’s Day for Fear the Walking Dead… Bring the fireworks
Reception for Fear the Walking Dead has been undeniably mixed compared to the original’s praise. Yet, usually around this time casuals will tune into a premiere, midseason cliffhanger, or season finale. Everybody loves a fresh start, the comeback if you will. Maybe they’re having zombie withdrawals, whatever the case is, it’s time to begin anew. Could be for the first five minutes, a whole episode, or the entire season.
Yes, the hardcore audience who will consume anything Walking Dead is the bread and butter so to speak, they’ll be there time and time again. An old trusty friend, but they’re expected, while the new redheaded flame entices us. We want to impress her.
The go with the flow casual crowd is where the big money is at. They don’t give second chances quite as easily, that’s why tonight there is no room for error. One bad scene and the competition will take that 18-35 demographic off the map like the wind. No more like a tornado.
They won’t be back for the rest of the season if the premiere doesn’t hit big on all fronts. Action, big-time establishment of story and characters that connect emotionally to the audience. There can be no filler or experimental plot devices. It’s all or nothing.
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No pressure.
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