We tend to find that the longer a show goes on, the worse it gets. The Walking Dead certainly had some problematic seasons, but are the last ones really worse than the first? Is it possible that this show got better with time? After all, it has led to multiple spinoffs, including Fear the Walking Dead and Dead City.
Of course, every Walking Dead fan has their own opinion about the best and worst seasons. What about when all of those opinions are accumulated together? Rotten Tomatoes is a great source to figure out which season is the best.
The show itself sits with a 78% Popcornmeter average score and a 79% Tomatometer average score. It ranks No. 2 on the list of Walking Dead shows by Rotten Tomatoes score. Let’s take a look at each season as a whole from worst to best in terms of these scores. For the ranking itself, we are looking at the Tomatometer score, but we will add the Popcornmeter score as well.
The Walking Dead season 8
Tomatometer score: 65%
Popcornmeter score: 54%
This is, by far, the worst season of all of The Walking Dead. Both scores are the lowest out of all seasons, and I think a lot of that came from not really knowing what to do with Rick’s group after the events of the seventh season. It also saw some of the biggest deviations from the comics, with actions taken that fans still haven’t forgiven the writers for.
Losing Carl Grimes was one of the biggest mistakes of the entire series. There was no need for it to happen, especially considering the growth Carl had gained from the start. Once that happened, it felt like there was no saving the series.
The Walking Dead season 7
Tomatometer score: 66%
Popcornmeter score: 80%
This is one of those seasons that is a bit hit and miss, and the Rotten Tomatoes scores certainly tell us that tale. Most seasons see the two scores pretty similar, but this is vastly different, and I think this depends on who your favorite characters were.
It was time for Steven Yeun to be removed from the opening credits, as Negan did the unthinkable. This is the point the show really seemed to change its vibe with the loss of Glenn, and it struggled to get through the rest of the season with the way characters shifted because of the events in the premiere.
The Walking Dead season 6
Tomatometer score: 76%
Popcornmeter score: 80%
The sixth season is around the time that long-running TV shows can struggle. A lot of showrunners have the first three to four seasons crafted in their head. After that, there’s the need to keep things fresh and to bring in new characters.
One of the biggest issues with this season was the way Glenn’s death was faked in the third episode. It made it clear that the writers wanted to opt for shock factor, and I do think it made the real death in season 7 even more irritating. We also got a look at how the show would feel without Glenn, and you would have thought the show would have learned from that!
The Walking Dead season 10
Tomatometer score: 77%
Popcornmeter score: 75%
Now, judging this season is a little unfair due to the way production was suddenly halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It did mean that there were delays and changes, with the season finale pushed into the fall rather than airing in spring 2020 as intended.
After a few seasons of not quite knowing where it was going, The Walking Dead got back to its roots and created some scary storytelling again. The downside to it was the loss of Danai Gurira, who left as Michonne after eight seasons.
The Walking Dead season 11
Tomatometer score: 80%
Popcornmeter score: 68%
As a final season, The Walking Dead worked, and it shows with the critical reviews. While the fan reception isn’t quite as high, it’s not a complete flop.
One of the biggest issues for The Walking Dead’s final season is that there wasn’t that sense of finality. Most people want to get to the end of a long-running show and feel like everything is complete. However, the franchise brought us more spinoffs, and while there were some great nail-biting and emotional moments, it just wasn’t an ending.
The Walking Dead season 2
Tomatometer score: 80%
Popcornmeter score: 83%
It’s not easy for a second season to stand out after a strong freshman run. While The Walking Dead season 2 isn’t as high in scores as the first season, it’s still strong, and that’s all thanks to the writing. And, while the Tomatometer score is the same as season 11, the Popcornmeter score is higher, and that’s why this is just slightly ahead. The Walking Dead season 2 is an exceptionally strong season.
One thing this show had to do was develop relationships. The first season saw a group of people come together in the hope of survival, and slowly, they lost the people they knew and had to form bonds with other characters. There’s an honest element in the storytelling as we see how factions within factions are formed, along with how people will always do what’s best for themselves.
The Walking Dead season 4
Tomatometer score: 81%
Popcornmeter score: 87%
I, personally, found this season as the start of the slower storytelling that no longer quite grasped my attention, but a lot of people enjoyed the writing. To be honest, the character development was still on point. We got this element of hope as some of them found a potential new place to stay with The Governor.
However, there are always questions about those in power. The Walking Dead season 4 didn’t disappoint in having a questionable leader. At the same time, we got to delve deeper into some of the OG characters, especially Carol and Daryl, seeing how they could end up becoming best of friends.
The Walking Dead season 1
Tomatometer score: 87%
Popcornmeter score: 93%
It’s always hard to adapt popular source material. Added on top of that is an already-overcrowded genre. Let’s not overlook the fact that zombies had been done time and time again before The Walking Dead debuted.
Yet, this show managed to stand out on its own. Like any successful series, it captured fans of the comics and non-fans of the comics at the same time. It’s opening with a time just before the virus spread and then being thrust into the world with Rick Grimes certainly helped it’s success, as we felt in there with the horror and gore.
The Walking Dead season 3
Tomatometer score: 88%
Popcornmeter score: 88%
It’s rare that a show or movie ends up with the same critic and fan score, but The Walking Dead season 3 managed it. It’s clear that the first three seasons worked together as one, but there are some slightly stronger seasons out there.
There was this element of hope in the storytelling of The Walking Dead season 3, as the group found themselves a home in the prison. It gave us all a chance to breathe from the events of season 1, which was needed at the time, but we knew that the horror wasn’t over yet. What this did allow, though, was a chance to get to know the characters better and see how relationships could evolve, and that’s why it stands out as such a strong season.
The Walking Dead season 9
Tomatometer score: 89%
Popcornmeter score: 78%
After a couple of slow seasons, The Walking Dead season 9 found its footing again. There were some who worried that it was just a fluke, especially with it being the last season with Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. However, with how fairly well season 10 and 11 were viewed, it’s clear that wasn’t the case.
This season brought somewhat of a fresh start. After a couple of seasons with Negan as the villain, he was taken down, and it meant that everyone could start to move forward. The power of this season was having the villains in the shadows, creating that sense of danger that nobody could really see coming, bringing elements of the first couple of seasons back.
The Walking Dead season 5
Tomatometer score: 90%
Popcornmeter score: 88%
The fifth season is considered the best season, and that’s for some great reasons. The storytelling remained fresh, and there’s no doubt that the costume department did an excellent job. To be honest, the fifth season of many a show ends up being the best, and that’s thanks to the writers finally figuring out their characters and how they can gel together.
This season wasn’t as slow as seasons 3 and 4, adding a lot more adrenaline-packed scenes and grim horror. When character development needed it, we slowed down a little, but there was still the reminder of the danger and need to survive out there.
The Walking Dead is available to stream on AMC+.