There are two long-running TV shows that have stayed at the top of the pop culture conversation at a time when the viewing landscape is overpopulated. Both are adapted from popular pre-existing source material, action-packed with a sprawling cast of characters and an even bigger body count. The first is “Game of Thrones,” which recently wrapped up its penultimate seventh season, and the second is “The Walking Dead,” set to return to AMC for its eighth season this fall, when the series will celebrate its landmark 100th episode.
Last season saw the introduction of notable comic book characters Ezekiel and his pet Bengal tiger, Shiva, as well as more survivor communities: the Kingdom, the Sanctuary, Oceanside, and the Scavengers. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the gang found themselves grappling with a heavy loss and coming to terms under the rule of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), eventually building an army with like-minded communities to prepare to go head to head against the Saviors.
“We all know it’s the All Out War storyline,” Robert Kirkman, executive producer of “The Walking Dead,” told reports at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour. “Season eight, we’re trying to do a more fast-paced, action-packed season really focusing on momentum. Over the first seven seasons, we’ve set all the characters into place, and now it’s time to break them, to a certain extent.”
In addition to a battle between Rick and Negan, we can also look forward—literally—to a time jump the post-apocalyptic horror show has planned, previously teased with Rick rocking a cane and gray beard. That certainly falls in line with Kirkman’s assertion that the eighth season will accelerate the creative pace. So what do you think will happen when the show presses the storytelling gas pedal?
We’ll find out when “The Walking Dead” returns to life on Sunday, October 22nd. Until there, here’s an extended sneak peek.