Why is “The Walking Dead,” a Show about Zombies, So Focused on Humans?
When living humans become the minority in a world inhabited by zombies, the humans become the oddity. They become the zombie.. The Walking Dead isn’t so much a show about zombies as a show about people surviving in a world that no longer belongs to them.
“We’re surrounded by the DEAD. We’re among them—and when we finally give up we become them! We’re living on borrowed time here. Every minute of our life is a minute we steal from them! You see them out there. You KNOW that when we die—we become them. You think we hide behind walls to protect us from the walking dead?
Don’t you get it? We ARE the walking dead! WE are the walking dead.”
― Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, Vol. 05: The Best Defense
Creator Robert Kirkman says The Walking Dead approaches the zombie story as a tale about people, since that’s what the walkers once were, and what all the living characters are destined to become.
“Zombie stories are about human struggle, which is relatable to anybody. And I also think zombies are a physical embodiment of death, which is a fear we all have. [The] current world climate and situations that are on the news today kind of give people an overwhelming sense of dread about their everyday lives. It means that “Walking Dead” can be a way to sit down and experience those feelings of fear and dread in a manageable way.”