Top underrated performances on The Walking Dead

These underrated performances on The Walking Dead deserve more applause

Throughout its 10 year run there have been many fantastic performances on The Walking Dead.  The best of the best are easy to name off: Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lennie James, Steven Yuen, Samantha Morton, each of whom are constantly and consistently mentioned for their outstanding work on the show.  Against such talent, it’s easy to be overshadowed but there are some performances and the characters they played that have stood out and deserve the recognition they have been missing.

A few of my top choices were only in an episode or two; others were part of the show for many seasons. Each brought something important to the show and their characters stood out however briefly they were part of the cast.

Here are my personal favorites:

IronE Singleton as T-Dog

As one of the original survivors, we were given the gift of following T-Dog’s journey from the beginning of the show. Played by the oh so talented IronE Singleton we had a character that stepped up time and time again. Everything from wanting to go back to save Merle to being an integral part of team family while taking the prison, T-Dog was always in the thick of things. Much is made of T-Dog giving what was left of his life to save Carol in the tombs, but to me that is exactly who T-Dog was.  While I am eternally grateful for his sacrifice, I prefer to celebrate the way he lived his life. Singleton played him as an intelligent, kind, caring man who at his heart was as good as they come.

Alicia Witt as Paula

Paula only appeared in one episode of The Walking Dead, season 6 episode 13’s “Same Boat” (her voice was also heard on the radio at the end of “Not Tomorrow Yet”) but she made an impression. Alicia Witt gave a commanding performance as Paula the primary antagonist. Playing a character that before the apocalypse could have been any woman who finds herself working in a thankless job with a family.  Making her way through the apocalypse as best she could hardened Paula, turning her into  the cold heartless savior we saw. She was a visual representation of what happens when once good people lose everything that made them good and served as a warning of who Carol could have become.

Karl Makinen as Richard

Richard was a complex character that did the wrong things for the right reasons. Season 7 of The Walking Dead had our characters under the thumb of Negan. While Ezekiel was doing his best to not lose lives by giving in to Negan’s demands, Richard knew they couldn’t keep living under that oppressive thumb.  His faulty plans involving sacrificing Carol and the one that led to Benjamin’s death aside, Karl still managed to make Richard a sympathetic character. You didn’t have to agree with his methods but you understood them. It’s a difficult balancing act to pull off yet Karl was successfully able to walk that line.

Chad Coleman as Tyreese

Tyreese… my sweet Tyreese.  One of the biggest problems for Tyreese as a character is his comic counterpart.  Despite a few shared comic moments the screen version was vastly different from that comic version.  Coleman played Tyreese as a gentle giant with a driving need to protect the sister he loved and the community that he became a part of.   A full quarter of the success of season 4 episode 14 can be credited to Coleman and his ability to show the heartbreak of that episode from the perspective outside of a parental role.  His final episode, season 5 episode 9’s “What’s Happening and What’s Going on” highlighted just how good of an actor Coleman is and how well he knew his character.  He also gets bonus points for singing Cole Porter to Karen back at the prison in season 4 episode 2 “Infected”. Coleman is not a professional singer nor was he trying to start a singing career, both of which make that particular scene not only one of the sweetest but also the best usage of a cast member singing on the show.

Jordan Woods-Robinson as Eric

As half of one of the best relationships on the show and in the comics Eric, as played by Jordan Woods-Robinson, was perfectly brought to life. Representation maters and in Eric and his relationship with Aaron, we got to see a loving couple that were a great example of what we should all strive for in our relationships.  Woods-Robinson and Ross Marquand (as Aaron) invested the time and the talent to make not only the relationship but their characters “real”. There was feeling behind their interactions that elevated the roles beyond a token LGBTQA relationship some shows do.  It wouldn’t have worked without the these 2 actors and their talent. The other piece to this character is Eric was not only defined by his relationship. He was another that was willing to step up and do what needed to be done.  His loss not only broke Aaron’s heart but mine as well.

The Prisoners: Vincent Ward as Oscar, Lew Temple as Axel, Nick Gomez as Tomas

Nick Gomez as the murderous psychotic Tomas, Lew Temple as the goofy yet almost charming Axel and Vincent Ward as the stout hearted Oscar never seem to get the appreciation for their acting talent they should. It takes work to play a character like Tomas and make him feel threatening which is a testament to Gomez’s acting. Axel was one I wasn’t sure where they were going with the character and he did seem skeevy at first but Temple was able to eventually bring a sweetness to him that made me sad to see him go. As for Oscar, before Merle told the Governor he wasn’t gonna beg and long before Abraham refused to back down from Negan, we had Oscar, a proud man that was not going to beg Rick when threatened, who could be funny and was willing to do what needed to be done to help the group. Ward, like Gomez and Temple, embodied his character and made them stand out. I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t sorry to see Tomas go, but Axel and Oscar were characters I would have liked to have seen more of.

The Vatos: Neil Brown as Guillermo, Anthony Gujardo as Miguel, Noel G as Felipe

Sometimes I have a hard time explaining why these three characters are special to me. The main reason is the nobility of Guillermo and Felipe. The addition of Miguel, who reminds me of one of my brothers, made “Vatos” one of my top 20 episodes of The Walking Dead. On the show, these are the ones that stayed behind to care for the elders when everyone else left. I’ve mentioned before how much I loved the fact the show stepped away from the stereotypes and created something different with these great characters. I didn’t know any of these actors prior to seeing them in Vatos but I instantly connected with their characters because of their talent. Neil Brown was outstanding in the role bringing a dignity to “G” and determination to do what was best for those in his care.  Since we didn’t see their bodies, I will continue to believe these three, plus Abuela, all escaped and are living their best life on some island.

For a show with as big of a cast as The Walking Dead, it’s easy to overlook some of the talented actors. If a performance has resonated with you in some way, take a moment to say “Thank You” to that actor and when possible, and check out some of their other roles. Talent like this shouldn’t be ignored.