The Walking Dead's Best-Rated Series Is Not The One You Think
It wasn't all that long ago that "The Walking Dead" was the absolute toast of the television world. That adoration was well-earned too, with the often intensely gory zombie drama coming out of nowhere in 2010 to become a ratings juggernaut for AMC. And yes, the flagship series in "The Walking Dead" universe was a legit hit with critics, with early seasons regularly touching the upper 80s on Rotten Tomatoes.
Like audiences, however, critics were far less kind to the series past the mid-point of its 11-season run, with middling RT scores being awarded to several of those seasons. So damaging were the scores, that they skewed the series' overall average on Rotten Tomatoes to the point it no longer boasts the top critical score of the "Walking Dead" franchise. Therefore, it may come as a surprise that the title of the top-rated "Walking Dead" series currently belongs to the just-launched spin-off, "The Walking Dead: Dead City."
Though the series — which follows long-time characters Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohen) and Neegan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to a decimated New York City as they search for the former's kidnapped son — aired just six episodes in its first season, it netted an 81% Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics. That beyond-impressive number slots it into the top spot, just a couple of points ahead of its closest competitors in "The Walking Dead" universe.
Another recent The Walking Dead spinoff has also fared quite well with critics
While "The Walking Dead: Dead City" topping the O.G. series in the Rotten Tomatoes ratings likely comes a surprise, RT scores for "The Walking Dead" still land it in second place. But its 79% Fresh rating isn't enough to hold that spot alone, with "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" slotting into second place boasting a current critical score of 79%, itself. And given the unflinching fan-favorite status bestowed upon Daryl Dixon (as played by Norman Reedus) in the world of "The Walking Dead," it should come as no surprise.
The success of "Daryl Dixon" should be particularly vindicating for Reedus and the series' creators, given a massive pre-production shakeup likely altered the original concept of the series dramatically. Successes aside, it is worth noting that neither "Daryl Dixon," nor "Dead City" would even exist had "The Walking Dead" not so painstakingly laid the groundwork for the franchise's stark post-apocalyptic world.
As for the other three "The Walking Dead" spin-offs, the lone season of the almost instantly overlooked anthology "Tales of the Walking Dead" took the third spot via a 74% critical score. The first, and oft-divisive "TWD" spinoff, "Fear the Waking Dead," slotted into fourth on the strength of a 73% score. And to the surprise of few, the intriguing, but much-maligned "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" claimed the bottom spot with a brutal 46% critical rating.