The Walking Dead was one of the best shows on TV during its peak, but despite all its key strengths, it also had some major flaws, with one bad habit finally being redeemed through its spinoffs. The zombie series first hit screens in 2010 and while it has had a rollercoaster journey since then, the IP still remains popular among its dedicated audience. Given the franchise has been going for 14 years, I'm not surprised that the series introduced a plethora of iconic characters along the way, some of who were a part of The Walking Dead's most haunting deaths.
These memorable survivors, alongside the show's thrilling storylines, helped make The Walking Dead one of the most identifiable television franchises of all time, but it's also hard to ignore the flaws. Drawn-out arcs, repetitive stories, controversial deaths, and unwanted cliffhangers all hurt the series' legacy, leading to a declining viewership by the time The Walking Dead season 11's finale came around. Despite all of these problems though, one annoying habit proved to be constant throughout the show's existence, but I'm relieved that the modern spinoffs have finally abandoned this trend after years of unnecessary frustration.
The Walking Dead's Spinoffs Include Way More Swearing Than The Original Show
The Spinoff Shows Aren't Afraid To Hold Back When It Comes To Curse Words
Although the original Walking Dead show did still contain some swearing, it was a lot less frequent than the newer spinoffs. Despite the show's graphic nature, there seemed to be limitations to the volume of curse words in the earlier seasons, which slowly began to loosen up towards its final few installments. Thankfully, this allowed the spinoffs to be much more relaxed when it came to swearing, adding a more natural feel to the modern projects. In a world full of brutality and death, casual swearing feels very normal, making the spinoffs' lack of restrictions extremely beneficial.
Dead City , The Ones Who Live , and Daryl Dixon all feature more colorful language, with Daryl Dixon season 2 feeling especially liberal when it comes to letting its characters swear.
Dead City, The Ones Who Live, and Daryl Dixon all feature more colorful language, with Daryl Dixon season 2 feeling especially liberal when it comes to letting its survivors swear. Hearing Walking Dead characters dropping F-bombs after years of being censored and restricted is oddly satisfying, and I'm glad the spinoffs aren't holding back in this regard. The increased use of curse words doesn't just feel like simple shock value or an attempt to be different; instead, it makes the dialog more dramatic and natural, giving the spinoffs a strong identity that was missing from the original series.
The Walking Dead's Lack Of F-Bombs Became A Problem
The Walking Dead Ruined Some Great Moments By Censoring The Show's F-Bombs
Plenty of shows manage just fine without F-bombs and an abundance of swearing, but while The Walking Dead's censorship didn't ruin the show, it did somewhat hurt it. The zombie series' mature rating meant it was able to show a lot of graphic content, which added weight to how deadly and brutal the franchise's apocalyptic world is. However, the lack of swearing in this universe not only felt out of place, but it ruined some potentially great moments. Subsequently, one of my favorite Rick Grimes' Walking Dead moments was relegated to a deleted scene, where he dropped a hilarious F-bomb.
The comedic moment showed how well casual swearing would have fit into the show, but the scene was replaced by a clean version. The same thing happened during season 4's finale, where a grizzly statement from Rick featuring an F-bomb was censored with another word, lessening the impact of a terrifying speech. Even Negan - who is one of the most foul-mouthed characters in the comics - was restricted when it came to his use of swear words, as an uncensored version of his debut monologue featured 23 f-bombs, compared to the clean version that aired on TV.
Considering The Walking Dead featured countless disturbing and gory scenes, the decision to restrict the show's language for so long ultimately became a problem, which was only amplified by the DVDs revealing the uncensored version of these scenes. While I can understand TV networks wanting to have certain limitations, some of The Walking Dead's more brutal moments were much worse than any potentially offensive language would've been, and I'm still devastated the series wasn't bolder with its swearing.
Swearing Isn't Funny Or Clever, But The Walking Dead Needs It
The Walking Dead's Brutal Story Benefits From More Casual Swearing
While swearing isn't strictly funny or clever, cursing can add humor and emotion to dialog, and The Walking Dead needs this. Although the franchise can get a little wild at times, it's supposed to be grounded in reality and portray a version of the real world if a zombie apocalypse broke out. As a result, casual swearing feels appropriate for this kind of show. The colorful language can help depict how stressed a character is, the shock they're feeling, or be used for comedic effect, as has been seen at times in the main show and the spinoffs.
The Walking Dead officially ended in November 2022 after 11 seasons.
Even if it takes suspending a little bit of belief to buy into the idea of zombies, realism is an important element of the show, making these more natural reactions critical. I don't think The Walking Dead was ever guilty of overly bad dialog, but the recent spinoffs are so much better when it comes to character interactions, and the simple use of swearing has helped with this. As a result, I'm hopeful the franchise will continue to have fewer restrictions on language going forward, as curse words are a subtle yet pivotal part of The Walking Dead.
