The Best Season Of The Walking Dead, According To 45% Of Fans
The AMC adaptation of Robert Kirkman's "Walking Dead" comic arrived on the small screen in October of 2010 and became a near-instant pop culture phenomenon. Viewers couldn't help but get invested in this post-apocalyptic world occupied by flesh-eating zombies and a rapidly shrinking band of survivors determined to make a better life for themselves. It launched actors such as Norman Reedus and Lauren Cohan into international superstardom, brought on a zombie media craze, and even launched an ever-expanding franchise that the minds behind it show little sign of giving up on.
Still, for as groundbreaking as "The Walking Dead" was for some time, it couldn't last forever. For those who didn't already give up on the show for one reason or another, the worst news imaginable arrived in 2020: Season 11 of "The Walking Dead" would be its final batch of episodes. While most of the fan-favorite characters will star in spin-off titles of their own, seeing the series that started it all finally bid audiences farewell is undoubtedly sad. After all, 11 seasons of TV spread over a decade-plus is nothing to scoff at, even if the quality of some seasons wasn't the best.
In hindsight, 45% of "Walking Dead" fans would agree that this season of the show endures as the best of them all.
Most agree that Season 1 is peak Walking Dead
Looper ran a poll asking 565 fans of "The Walking Dead" in the United States for their opinion on which season of the show stands as the best. Suffice to say, the results of the survey weren't even close. Season 6 came in dead last with only 4.96% of the ballots, Season 5 came in next with 5.84%, and Season 2 saw a slight relative boost at 12.57%. Third place went to Season 4's 13.1%, making Season 3 the runner-up at 18.23%. With that, the winner by an astounding margin is Season 1, which took home the remaining 45.31% of the ballots.
Of course, for as impressive of a victory as this is for Season 1, let's not forget that 565 fans is but a small sample of the "Walking Dead" fanbase. Some fans of the show, such as Reddit user u/Vadermaulkylo, feel that the love for Season 1 above all others isn't quite justified, despite their own appreciation for it. Numerous others in their thread commented and agreed about their assessment of Season 1, citing some of the flaws that put it beneath a few of those that came after. Still, plenty of others came in to defend it, commending its presentation, writing, and more.
"The Walking Dead" fanbase has grown exponentially since the series arrived, adding folks with different tastes, opinions, and desires when it comes to their entertainment along the way. Sure, not everyone would call Season 1 their favorite of the bunch, but it's plain to see that the majority of fans out there happily would.