The Walking Dead First aired on AMC October 31, 2010. Seven years later the show is growing more popular every day. Season 8 premiered, October 22, 2017, her’s why you need to watch.

1. Modern-Day horror Story

We follow the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) as he wakes up from a coma as a result of a police shootout. Rick wakes up to find himself in a post-apocalyptic world where Walkers (zombies) roam the Earth. Rick is reunited with his wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and his son Carl (Chandler Riggs). Along the way, they meet more people, some friendly, and some not so much. Rick and the gang have faced a suicidal scientist, cannibals, a tyrannical Governor, and much more. Their newest threat, The Saviors, have shown that it will take everyone coming together to defeat the baseball bat-wielding leader Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), as all the communities go to All Out War.

2. Man-Eating Monsters And Survivors 

The average Fan of TWD would tell you NOT to get to attached to a particular character, but if only it were that easy. The writers of TWD are fantastic at making characters that people can build connections. Whether you’re brave like Glenn (Steven Yeun), wise like Hershel  (Scott Wilson), or loyal like Daryl (Norman Reedus), there’s someone you can relate to.

Just as viewers start to hope the characters make it to the end of the series, they get killed off in a spectacular fashion. If you’re an important character, you die in one of two ways: the first is full-on gore, like being torn apart by vicious man-eating creatures. The second is making everyone’s eyes turn into waterfalls from the emotional trauma of the scene. Through all of that, we continue to watch, hoping our favorite character will make it.

Dale was one of my favorite characters, until while on a walk in a field at night, a walker tackled him and ripped his guts out.

3. The Best Makeup On Modern Television

TWD has made many milestones in cinematic history, but none is better than its make-up and special effects. Since the show’s premiere, TWD’s make-up design has been top notch. As the show has been going on, the walker makeup has gotten more decayed, to show the passage of time. Greg Nicotero is the head makeup designer for TWD and has also directed many of the episodes for the show. He has also been involved in Kill Bill, Django Unchained, and Inglorious Bastards. In 2012 Nicotero won an Emmy for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie, or Special.

In  TWD they have made many memorable walkers like the well walker, the bicycle walker, the spiked walker, etc. These make-up wizards are finding new ways to add a new spin to an old trope.

4. Multiple Fun Walking Dead Related Properties

TWD is a franchise that spans many different platforms. It first started as a comic book. The show and comic are very similar with some changes with characters, settings, and relationships. The comic has had 172 issues since first being published in 2003.

TWD also has a video game deal with Telltale. Telltale mainly focuses on storytelling instead of game play. Telltale’s The Walking Dead has had 3 seasons (games) in its series. The story revolves around a whole new cast of characters who depend on the choices you make. You play as Lee (Season 1), Clementine (Season 2), and Javier (Season 3) and you watch how their stories affect each other and who they will become. Both, the comics and video games have received many awards such as, the VGX Award in 2012 for best game of the year and VGX Best Studio of the Year. TWD also has a number of small mobile games which include Road To Survival and  No Man’s Land. TWD gives fans many things to look forward too for TWD products.

5. Loyal Fan Base

TWD’s fan base is one of the most devoted fan bases. On October 12, 2014, TWD was the most watched show on television in the world for the premiere of Season Five, beating Sunday night football. James Frazier and Eric Nordhoff were two huge fans of TWD who ended up devolving the first and only mainstream Walking Dead convention in the world. Walker Stalker, has cast from the show and other favorite shows and movies come to sign and take pictures with fans, TWD virtual reality experiences, and zombie survival air-soft. From theories to fan art, TWD fans are some of the best in the world.

Urban sophomore Jared Burbette said, “Well I like the show because it develops characters really well and really makes you connect with the characters, and you grow love for them and when they die or someone close to them dies you hurt for them.”

Urban sophomore Bela Ayala said, “I like the show because I’ve always stuck with it since it came out and I enjoy the constant disappointment of my favorite character dying in cruel ways.”

6. Hilarious Walking Dead Talk Show

Talking Dead is a lesser known part about TWD. Chris Hardwick happily hosts this post-apocalyptic after-show which features creators, cast, and crew talking about how the episode was made. Hardwick adds a playful tone and his hilarious personality giving the show a scene of humor. If an episode was a little too graphic or intense, Talking Dead is a perfect thing to pull us back to reality and clam you down. It also gives the viewers a sneak peek at the next week’s episode. Talking Dead offers Fans the opportunity to ask questions through social media and audience participation. From all the great things about TWD, Talking Dead is like the cherry on top.

7. Gives More Than It Takes

TWD has participated many charitable events in the past seven years. Some of these charities include TWD Project 100 in Stores; creator Robert Kirkman drew a 100-page book filled with concept art and panels from TWD comics. All proceeds from the comic go to the Hero Initiative which provides funding for small comic creators to put their ideas on the page.

Norman Reedus put the shirt that he wore on the cover of Entertainment magazine up for auction online. The current bid for the shirt is more than $4,000 and growing. All proceeds from the auction go to charity. Cast, creators, and crew are always giving back to the world in whatever way they can.

8. Milestone Of 100 Episodes

Season Eight’s first episode was the 100th episode of TWD! Many of the cast and crew say that this season is going to be the best that they’ve ever done. It’ll be full of references to past characters, locations, and plot points. New characters will be introduced, and old characters will be missed.

For the long-time Fans who have been here since the beginning, this is a happy thing to see. These past years I’ve grown to love this show. It’s brought me closer to my family and started friendships with people that I would’ve never had the guts to talk to.

All seven seasons are on Netflix if you’d like to get started. You won’t regret it.