AMC tapped a goldmine when it ordered the pilot season of the post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead. The series was initially turned down by several networks for being too violent, including HBO, home of Game of Thrones. But AMC recognized the potential of adapting Robert Kirkman's comic into a series, and it has paid off.
The Walking Dead series premiered on the network on Halloween night in 2010. The six-part season introduced Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who awakens from a coma, to what seems like the end of the world. Rick meets Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and his son Duane (Adrian Kali Turner), who explain that a rising of the dead began while Rick was in the hospital. This is the beginning of how the story continues throughout the series with stories focused on the survivors, rather than a cure.
The Walking Dead series was never about finding a cure, but the survival spirit of its characters. The entire series centers on what happens to people after the downfall of society in a world overrun by the undead, who are a constant threat. This is part of the reason the series deeply resonates with its viewers.
Fans of the series are quick to tell others that TWD isn't about the walkers, but its stories focus on the ones who survive and want to rebuild the world. Allowing the storyline to follow people and how they adapt to the crazy world they find themselves in gives viewers a vested interest in what happens to them.
Initially, the fear of the walkers motivated the characters to find ways to survive. Most everyone, like Hershel (Scott Wilson), held out hope that a cure would be found. Dr. Jenner (Noah Emmerich) from the CDC was one of the last holdouts still trying to figure out a cure. When it was realized that humans were the most significant threat, the focus shifted from hoping for and finding a cure to protecting those they loved.
While the characters' journeys didn't directly mirror viewers' lives, elements of their fight to survive certainly did. People felt connections to these characters for one reason or another, piquing their interest, which ensured they would return to see more. This formula is what made The Walking Dead such an amazing series worthy of viewing time and time again.
The main series aired for 12 years on AMC and spearheaded The Walking Dead TV universe, which includes three spinoffs, three direct spinoffs, plus several webisodes. Keeping the focus on its characters has allowed the universe to expand the stories of several fan-favorite characters who continue to try and rebuild the world.
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