---
title: "The Walking Dead: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead"
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Walking Dead (2010): what the critics said

Critics' score 81 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews are uniformly positive, and nearly all of them are reviews of the pilot rather than the run. Most critics agree that Frank Darabont’s 90-minute opener looks and moves like a film rather than an episode of television, and that this is what sets it apart from the usual zombie fare. The praise clusters on the direction, the effects and the decision to build dread slowly, with Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and Lennie James singled out as the performances that carry it.

The reservations are mild and the spread is narrow. Several critics note that the series presses familiar genre buttons and that it is grisly enough to put off the squeamish. Empire, the only publication reviewing beyond the first episode, finds that later instalments do not match the pilot and that the slow pace frustrates as often as it holds attention. Nobody dislikes it; the question is whether the opener’s promise is kept.

## The AV Club — Leonard Pierce

Rating A-. 31 October 2010. 

The pilot is a stunning debut that effectively sets up the bleak survival horror story, with strong performances especially from Lennie James and excellent technical filmmaking, though it sets pieces a bit abruptly.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-walking-dead-days-gone-bye-1798166397)

## Variety — Brian Lowry

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2010. 

The 90-minute pilot draws the audience in almost instantly with its cinematic quality and incorporates tasty soap-like elements. Producer-writer-director Frank Darabont has deftly tackled adapting the comicbook into a viable episodic series that feels unexpectedly fresh.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2010/tv/reviews/the-walking-dead-1117943947/)

## The Guardian

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2010. 

The critic praises Andrew Lincoln's convincing performance as Rick Grimes and calls the series quality, with an eerie cinematic feel and languid tension suited to its southern setting that builds dread effectively. It compares favorably to The Road and Dawn of the Dead but notes it is very grisly.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/nov/05/the-walking-dead-review)

## Empire — William Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 April 2011. 

This adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comics scored monster ratings. It is easy to see why, though later episodes do not quite reach the pilot's giddy heights and the slow pace frustrates as much as it fascinates.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/walking-dead-season-1-review/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Tim Goodman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 October 2010. 

The 90-minute premiere manages to push all of the familiar zombie-genre buttons while expanding visual references to classic Westerns and dystopian films. Darabont has found the perfect person to flesh out the graphic novels.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/first-hollywood-reporter-review-tim-33846/)

## Den of Geek — Ron Hogan

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2010. 

The critic praises the premiere episode as one of the best debut episodes, highlighting its faithful adaptation of the comic, impressive gore and effects, and strong character focus that appeals to drama fans.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-walking-dead-episode-1-review-days-gone-bye/)

## Paste — Josh Jackson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2010. 

The critic praises the cinematic quality and slow-burn character development in the pilot, highlighting how it treats the zombie apocalypse with prestige TV care unlike typical genre fare. They single out the personal horror of survivors facing loved ones as zombies and the tense buildup to the Atlanta scene.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-walking-dead/the-walking-dead-review)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead.md