10 TV Shows That Ruined Other TV Shows
2. The Last Of Us RUINED The Walking Dead
The Last of Us isn't just a brilliant adaptation of Naughty Dog's legendary video game - it's a genuinely great slice of post-apocalyptic drama in its own right and, more to the point, arguably the best zombie-adjacent TV series ever produced.
In fact, it's so well-made, impeccably acted, and dramatically potent that it basically leaves the previous top dog, The Walking Dead, necrotising in the dust.
Now in fairness, there's a strong argument to be made that The Walking Dead lost much of its lustre after its first few seasons, and the seemingly never-ending fleet of spin-offs have caused the franchise to basically become a shambling, soulless zombie in of itself.
But The Last of Us is nevertheless everything that The Walking Dead isn't - a technically stunning, character-driven masterpiece that also dares to respect the audience's time.
When you compare the canvas which HBO gave Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin to the more sanitised, slapdash one The Walking Dead had on AMC, there's just no comparison.
To go back and watch the latter now, it just seems quaint and even a bit corny - a grotty relic from an era where pulpy source material couldn't be translated into prestige drama.
Perhaps had AMC let Frank Darabont deliver his more character-focused iteration of The Walking Dead instead of canning him during production of the second season, things could've been different.