Is there such a thing as too much hopelessness on The Walking Dead?

The best part of The Walking Dead is watching survivors rise from the depths of despair to overcome adversity. But can the show get too hopeless at times?

With The Walking Dead halfway through its tenth season, fans have seen the survivors in many situations where it seemed as though death was imminent and there was no escape from a human or zombie threat.

It takes those low moments to rise up and show how important these incidents are in developing characters and adding to the epic nature of the story in general. If not for the massive amount of hopelessness, the moments of bliss would not be as sweet.

However, lately AMC president Sarah Barnett spoke about The Walking Dead and how an intense storyline changed the course of the series because of how bleak it made the future look going forward.

Here is what she had to say about that story as transcribed by CinemaBlend:

"“It’s true to say that that season with Negan [a mega-villain played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan] became a little too hopeless for audiences. I think that there was creative intention behind it that was really smart and thoughtful, but I think it probably pushed people to a place where it was a lot to take at a time when maybe people just didn’t want to see that.”"

The showdown with the leader of the Saviors left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of viewers. The display of power and authority by Negan was enough to shift the power dynamic in a massive way, but the loss of both Glenn and Abraham in such a violent fashion was more than some could handle.

Still, even with the deaths of those two fan-favorite characters, the need to assert the Saviors as a real threat was necessary for the story. AMC needed to one-up the story with the Governor and make this a powerful and unique part of the plot.

It’s understandable that the episode where two survivors are beaten down with a barbed-wire baseball bat was too much for some, but it’s surprising it would scare viewers away from continuing to watch the show. Regular viewers should know the group of survivors they have been following all this time would find a way to overcome the odds and survive.

Despite a drop in the ratings, The Walking Dead still has a loyal following and a franchise with multiple shows, films in the works, several video games, and more. The AMC show brought a passion back to the show in season 9, and hopefully that will inspire those who stopped watching the show to return to the watch their favorite survivors in the zombie apocalypse.