The Walking Dead Season 9 Premiere: 6 Ups & 3 Downs From 'A New Beginning'

Ups...

6. The Lighter Tone

There was a lot to dislike about the last two or three seasons of The Walking Dead, but the biggest offender was undoubtedly the bleak tone of the show. Sure, it's a post-apocalyptic world that our heroes are forced to dwell in, but even by that standard, it was pretty depressing.

The new showrunner appears to have rectified this issue. The change in the tone is apparent from the opening moments, and there's an air of positivity running throughout - something that's been absent since Season 6 (or perhaps even earlier). It's not all doom and gloom anymore, and all of the show's central protagonists are much happier than they were before. Everyone is looking on the bright side of life, and learning to overcome obstacles and problems as a team.

The altered tone is reflected in the show's events too. For once, not everything takes place in the dead of night. There are plenty of daytime sequences, many of which feature the likes of Rick and Carol, both of whom have been previously at the centre of the series' darkest storylines. Even the dialogue features some optimistic speeches, and there's very little monosyllabic conversations.