Supporting Cast
Edge: The Comic No knock on the actors of the series, but we've yet to be given a rich supporting cast yet. We have T-Dogg who has been given five lines in the last two seasons, Hershel's family were nothing but expendable extras destined to die in the finale, Carol whose storyline has been expanded to whine alongside Lori, and we had the Morales family from season one who left to seek their own fortune from the group. While Daryl has become a stand out among the new characters, his popularity has been something of a fluke thanks to good writing and Norman Reedus' charismatic performance. The supporting cast for the comic borders on legendary with some interesting supporting characters and sub-plots including Tyreese, and his daughter, Allen who is left with his twins when his wife is killed by zombies, and of course Axel. The series has yet to present a cavalcade of compelling characters.
Showrunners: Frank Darabont vs. Glenn Mazzarra
Edge: Mazzarra Hey, I don't doubt Frank Darabont is a great storyteller. The man can create an aura of hopelessness and carnage. While I wasn't crazy about "The Mist," Darabont created a world where there was no bright light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of the day though there's a big difference between Mazzarra and Darabont. Glenn Mazzarra is getting things done while Darabont seemed to be taking his time. The first half of season two that most people complained about was the work of Darabont. Even worse Darabont wanted to include wild card episodes in every season that would spotlight a new character and feature a portion of a story that wasn't totally connected to the series. While the idea for the premiere featuring the origin of the tank zombie in the pilot starring Sam Witwer sounded great, how it factored in to the storyline was tough to justify. Once the series returned from its hiatus, Mazzarra took over and the show went in to hyper drive delivering plot motion, plot twists, and a killer season finale. While the conditions on which Darabont was fired is a big insult to a seasoned Hollywood veteran, Mazzarra has the series moving forward in a much better capacity. I won't pretend he's a master show runner, but he's getting the job done.
Overall Quality
Edge: The Comic
I hate to sound like one of those whiny fan boys, but the series has left me asking "why?" on many occasions. Why stow the comics supporting cast in favor of throwaway characters? Why end the first season at the CDC when you could have taken them in to Wiltshire Estates and ended on a bleak note? Why oh why hasn't the series taken the shocking turns the comic has yet? Damned if I know. While the series is superb, it doesn't have the guts the comic book does, and I'm still waiting for it to display some turns that will have the audience questioning their limits. But hey, the series isn't over yet, so I could be proven wrong at any point.