TV PREVIEW
“The Walking Dead,” 9 p.m. Sundays, AMC
AMC’s indefatigable “The Walking Dead” is ignored by award shows and critics, but its fan base keeps growing. The metro Atlanta-produced horror drama remains America’s top cable show by a wide margin, drawing 20 million-plus viewers a week. Its audience has grown consistently since season one in 2010.
The show returns Sunday for the second half of season five with a moorless crew of survivors.
The good news: Everyone who isn’t dead is back together for the first time since the Governor destroyed the prison/sanctuary, with immediate human enemies vanquished.
The bad news: The group is still recovering from a heart-rending episode in which likable character Beth Greene is killed by the leader of a Grady Hospital clan during a hostage exchange gone awry. And this comes on the heels of Bob Stookey’s death.
Without giving anything away, we know a few things going forward.
For one, they no longer have a purpose. For a time, at least part of the group was driving to D.C. to save the world, courtesy of supposed genius scientist Eugene Porter. He originally said he had ideas for a cure for the zombie infection but later admitted he was a fraud.
Instead, they are back to just surviving and seeking a safe haven — if there is even such a thing in this world.
One thing’s for sure: The show appears to have run its course in Atlanta. Rumors are that the group will be fictionally moving out of state, possibly to Noah’s hometown of Richmond, Va.
The survivors at some point this season will end up in a walled community, portions of which were seen in a 30-second trailer AMC has released. Last summer, “The Walking Dead” producers had to receive permission from the city of Senoia to build 15-foot walls around an actual neighborhood, so they couldn’t hide that from the public — or curiosity seekers who visited the city during production.
How long will they stay there and what awaits them inside? We do not know yet.