10 TV Shows That Completely Shifted The Balance Of Power In America

2. The Walking Dead (AMC: 2010-Present)

The Walking Dead Tv show is pretty much the perfect example of cross-media mega success. The Walking Dead comic, though popular in the comic book community, was mostly unknown to the general public. But as soon as the stellar black and white funny book was adapted for television, it became an instant hit. Small town Sheriff Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find the world in full on post-apocalypse mode. Zombies have over-run his town, and now he must set out to find the family he prays is still alive. With a pilot like that, it's no wonder that it grabbed people's attention when it premiered on Halloween in 2010. Fast forward to 2014 and it owns Sunday nights. The most recent premiere counted over 16 million people watching, roughly 10 million more than Sons of Anarchy on their best night. It's a rating giant, and while most of the shows mentioned earlier on this list laid the groundwork for cable to be this successful, The Walking Dead is the first show to truly capitalize on it in terms of raw numbers. The writers didn't wait long to stray from the source material, so the drastically different story being told keeps even the most fervent of loyal readers curious to see what changes will happen next. Those readers remain on the edge of their seat seeing which of their favorite characters from the book are going to get the axe for another ratings boost. And while some of the changes weren't really for the better, the unpredictability is a big part of what keeps the people watching. While the book remains better, the show has built itself a rabid following, as evidenced by the ever growing ratings numbers.