The Walking Dead: 10 Reasons Fans Are Abandoning The Show
5. The Eight Episode Cycle
The Walking Dead lucked into its distinctive eight-episode structure, which worked a charm in season four with the destruction of the prison and the scattering of the group. This formula has backfired in the sense that the writers plan big moments for the season openers and finales, but don’t have anything to fill in the middle bits.
That results in the big moments being telegraphed clearly, and season seven has revealed there’s very little for viewers to chew on in between the major events. Episode eight will no doubt have something shocking happen – either someone dies or loses a hand – and a cliffhanger will lead to the second half of the season.
The formula has become predictable and an easy way to prolong a minimal amount of story, and at this stage, the show badly needs an end game to build towards, instead of spinning its wheels eternally.