The Walking Dead (which is available with a Netflix subscription) has grown into a behemoth franchise over the years, with a number of spinoffs airing following the flagship series’ 11-season run. For most of its run Andrew Lincoln starred as Rick Grimes, although he departed TWD for its final few years. But he’s finally back in his signature role in the new spinoff The Ones Who Live. And critics seem pretty mixed on Lincoln and Danai Gurira’s return to the franchise.
While Rick Grimes was going to get a theatrical movie, the Walking Dead OG will first return to the apocalyptic series in The Ones Who Live. While it’s not released to the public just yet, critics have seen the first few episodes… and the reception is mixed. Variety called the new show “skippable.” They wrote:
More than carrying a relatively weak plot, the strong supporting cast also allows for the possibility of reviving the engine that powered The Walking Dead’s best seasons: the idea that any character, no matter how beloved or familiar, could be killed at any time. Obviously, Rick and Michonne will be safe; however, anyone else is fair game, and the prospect of losing any of these characters already carries weight. However, if the plot remains too bogged down by needless trivia about a dystopian stratocracy, the emotional pull from strong performances and well-drawn characters may not be enough to compensate.
Collider also took umbrage with some of the choices made in The Ones Who Live, specifically its pacing. And if the show ends up having more than one season on the air, they seemingly have work cut out for them. As the publication wrote:
Throughout the first four episodes of the series provided for review, it ends up far more shaky and scattered the more we get into it. While not the lowest of the low of where the flagship show ended up, as that series was defined by just adding in more characters with little depth to them, The Ones Who Live still has a long way to go to get things back on track while moving at a sluggish zombie-like pace. What was once supposed to be a miniseries, though may now expand to more, has its work cut out for it.
Pacing seems to be a common criticism for the new Walking Dead series, especially since fans of the franchise have waited a number of years for answers related to Rick, Michonne, and the mysterious CRM. ScreenRant took aim at this long wait, saying:
Along with revealing what has transpired for both Rick and Michonne, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live digs deeper into the CRM, finally providing answers to questions we’ve had about the military organization for years. But as satisfying as most of those answers are, the overall intentions of the CRM remain frustratingly hidden (at least in the episodes we previewed). And while some mystery is to be expected, given just how long the CRM has been teased as the big bad of the whole franchise, it’s a letdown that the truth behind their intentions is being dragged out.
That being said, there is some praise coming to The Ones Who Live, especially related to the performances by Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. IGN found some merit in the new series, with their write-up saying:
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live marks a strong, welcome return for previous franchise anchors Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. The spin-off is emotional, gripping, and very wise when it comes to explaining where their characters wound up after they peeled off from The Walking Dead.
The Wrap found both good and bad in the first four episodes of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. While they thing the spinoff is worth the watch, there’s still some criticism. As they posted:
At times, the world in this series does feel too small. And what we see of the CRM in these four episodes is very limited, with more telling than showing and many questions left unanswered. This setting would risk sinking a show with less veteran actors, but Lincoln and Gurira are so magnetic on-screen that no emotional beat is left unturned, making The Ones Who Live well-worth the watch.
Luckily for fans, they’ll be able to make their own judgements about the The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, as it’ll premiere February 25th on AMC. While we wait, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.