The Walking Dead Season 9: 10 Reasons To Actually Be Excited
Could this be the season that resurrects the show from the dead?
Even the most dedicated of Walking Dead fans have to admit the last two seasons have been rather pitiful. After a peak viewership of around 14.5 million during its fifth season, viewers have been dropping like flies since with figures reaching an all-time low with Seasons 7 and 8.
The critical response has been far less enthusiastic too and with the disappointment of last season – essentially one ridiculously long, drawn-out gunfight – and the unpopular decision to kill off Carl Grimes, it’s no surprise that even some former diehards are declaring the show deader than its walkers.
But with tantalising trailers and teaser artwork hinting that some very juicy plotlines are in store for us fans alongside some major shake-ups both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, it looks like Season 9 could very well be the season that gets the show back on track.
Though we’ll be saying goodbye to some of the show’s best-loved characters, we’ll also be welcoming new allies and villains and a brand-new showrunner (so long, Scott Gimple). Perhaps it’s a little premature to get too hyped but maybe – just maybe – we might see the show restored to its former glory.
10. Goodbye Scott Gimple, Hello Angela Kang
Early this year it was announced that Scott Gimple would be hanging up his hat as showrunner, with writer-producer Angela Kang would be stepping into his shoes. The news came as a relief to many The Walking Dead fans who felt Gimple was largely responsible for the downturn in quality of the past two seasons and are still irked by his decision to kill off Carl.
Though Gimple will still be somewhat involved having been promoted to chief content officer of the entire Walking Dead franchise, it does mean he’ll likely be far less involved in the day-to-day production side of things, which should prove a step in the right direction for the show.
Kang is certainly a qualified enough replacement. She’s worked on the show since 2011 in various positions including producer and story editor, and was the writer behind several acclaimed episodes including ‘A’, ‘Thank You’, and ‘The Same Boat’.
According to Kang, with her promotion to showrunner she intends to give Season 9 a fresh new look and feel with a Western kind of vibe and lots of exciting storylines to look forward to. Fingers crossed Kang is the breath of fresh air the show so desperately needs.