# The Walking Dead - How come nobody talks about how bad the acting is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489 "2012-03-11T20:55:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/41 "2012-03-22T17:44:55Z")
I should think that whatever is allowing a dead person to walk around and feed would also give a granny sufficient strength to be some kind of a threat. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/42 "2012-03-22T18:08:06Z")
> [@Aeris](#): > > Thank goodness a lot, and I mean A LOT, of people disagree with those of you who think this show is bad or even just okay. IMHO it is one of the best shows on television. The writing is fantastic. They bring up issues big and small and show how each person is reacting differently to their changing world. That’s really what I like about it. I enjoy watching each character develop and change or not-change their views and values. > I also enjoy the acting (with very few exceptions). My only problem with the acting are some ticks that the actors have given their character like Shane’s constant shifting of weight and Dale’s constantly open mouth. I do think \*\*the woman playing Laurie is phoning it \*\*in a little but I love Andrea, Glen, Shane, Rick, Maggie, Herschel, Dale, and Darrel. And Rick’s accent is pretty damn good if you ask me, and you should because I studied accents for a few years. Ooh deliciously unintentional spoiler pun! ETA: Loads of people tune into Two and Half Men. Ad populum reasoning has dick to do with quality. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/43 "2012-03-22T18:17:04Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Ad populum reasoning has dick to do with quality. Again, if I didn’t already have such a great sig. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/44 "2012-03-22T18:31:51Z")
> [@Aeris](#): > > Thank goodness a lot, and I mean A LOT, of people disagree with those of you who think this show is bad or even just okay. IMHO it is one of the best shows on television. The writing is fantastic. They bring up issues big and small and show how each person is reacting differently to their changing world. That’s really what I like about it. I enjoy watching each character develop and change or not-change their views and values. > I also enjoy the acting (with very few exceptions). My only problem with the acting are some ticks that the actors have given their character like Shane’s constant shifting of weight and Dale’s constantly open mouth. I do think the woman playing Laurie is phoning it in a little but I love Andrea, Glen, Shane, Rick, Maggie, Herschel, Dale, and Darrel. And Rick’s accent is pretty damn good if you ask me, and you should because I studied accents for a few years. False. This show is not in the one-of-the-best of category, which currenlty comprises the likes of: Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Homeland, Mad Men (these are just the ones I watch – I understand that Justified has a claim to this category as well). This show is in the frustrated-potential category, with shows like The Killing (a show that is still much better than TWD), just above the mindless-entertainment category, with shows like American Horror and Falling Skies. TWD Season 2 suffers from overall bad writing (bad pacing, bad storytelling, bad character development, bad dialogue, and bad direction/acting). Examples for any one of these can easily be supplied by me or others on request. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/45 "2012-03-22T18:48:58Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > I think the actor who plays Rick is the worse. I tried to let it slide since he’s a Brit doing a Southern accent. There are a lot of American actors who maul southern accents too. But he dismembers it, rolls over it with a thresher, sets fire to it, and poops all over it. He’s worse than Bill on True Blood. Now just wait a tick-tock here… Rick Grime’s isn’t “southern” and he is not from Georgia. The story is he is a Kentucky police officer. He travels south to look for his family AFTER waking up and hearing that Atlanta is a safe zone. I’d link to the wiki page but it has spoilers for those who are watching the show and have not read the comics. Yes, some will argue Kentucky is “southern” but really… they’re just more inbreed redneck simple folks vs. “southern”. (Runs for cover) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/46 "2012-03-22T18:53:01Z")
I think there’s some ambiguity regarding whether the TV Rick is from Kentucky or Georgia. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/47 "2012-03-22T19:02:40Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > The story is he is a Kentucky police officer. He travels south to look for his family AFTER waking up and hearing that Atlanta is a safe zone. He and Shayne sound Southern to me, and I live here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/48 "2012-03-22T19:11:53Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > Now just wait a tick-tock here… > > Rick Grime’s isn’t “southern” and he is not from Georgia. The story is he is a Kentucky police officer. He travels south to look for his family AFTER waking up and hearing that Atlanta is a safe zone. I’d link to the wiki page but it has spoilers for those who are watching the show and have not read the comics. > > Yes, some will argue Kentucky is “southern” but really… they’re just more inbreed redneck simple folks vs. “southern”. (Runs for cover) The Walking Dead wiki states that the Grimes family and Shane are from the fictitious King County, Georgia. Also, Kentucky is a Southern state. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > He and Shayne sound Southern to me, and I live here. 🙂 Likewise. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/49 "2012-03-22T19:19:46Z")
As a Georgian, I’m a stickler for southern accents done well. Rick and Maggie are both brits and I think they are doing a fantastic job. Heck, Julia Roberts grew up not 20 minutes from where I’m sitting right now and even she sucks at southern accents. TV Rick is from the outskirts of Atlanta. He didn’t ride a horse all the way from Kentucky. It’s not a stone’s throw away. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/50 "2012-03-22T20:07:54Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > We’re going to have to agree to disagree about her. I’ve several times complained about her acting in _The Walking Dead_, just about I complained about her in the _Prison Break_ threads of yore. I will cheer loudly when a walker gets her (just like I did when she was beheaded in Prison Break) and cry real tears when they find a way to bring her back. Ditto ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/51 "2012-03-22T20:12:20Z")
Another southerner (and Georgia resident) chiming in to say that my ears are not offended by any of the accents. The south’s a big place, with lots of accents, and there’s mobility, even wihtin small towns. Maggie’s accent, in particular, is pretty good. Shane is believable, Rick’s problem is not his accent, it’s that he sounds like he’s mid-push on the biggest shit of his life. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/52 "2012-03-22T20:13:42Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > Ditto Loir is the worst thing to happen to scripted television. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/53 "2012-03-22T20:29:21Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > ``` > With few exceptions (Hershel, Maggie at times) the performances are soap opera quality. Compare this ensemble with the fine cast of Breaking Bad, where even the most minor players produce amazing, memorable characters. There is no comparison, there is no argument. > > Is there? > > ``` you do realize you are comparing a show about the zombie apocalypse to one of the greatest shows in the history of TV I hope? the show has an interesting and full on Geek premise, the fact that its even on tv at all is astounding for a dozen reason that have nothing to do with the acting/directing/script. I do give it a pass where 99% of the crap on Tv doesn’t get a chance in the first place. maybe 15 years from now someone will come along an give it the Battlestar Galactica treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/54 "2012-03-22T20:42:23Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > Yes, some will argue Kentucky is “southern” but really… they’re just more inbreed redneck simple folks vs. “southern”. (Runs for cover) I think you know this is rather inappropriate. Let’s keep this kind of general insult out of these discussions, please. ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/55 "2012-03-22T20:43:21Z")
> [@whole\_bean](#): > > False. This show is not in the one-of-the-best of category, which currenlty comprises the likes of: Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Homeland, Mad Men (these are just the ones I watch – I understand that Justified has a claim to this category as well). This show is in the frustrated-potential category, with shows like The Killing (a show that is still much better than TWD), just above the mindless-entertainment category, with shows like American Horror and Falling Skies. > > TWD Season 2 suffers from overall bad writing (bad pacing, bad storytelling, bad character development, bad dialogue, and bad direction/acting). Examples for any one of these can easily be supplied by me or others on request. I guess we will have to agree to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/56 "2012-03-22T21:33:18Z")
> [@Aeris](#): > > I guess we will have to agree to disagree. That makes for a short thread. Earlier, you wrote, [QUOTE=Aeris] The writing is fantastic. They bring up issues big and small and show how each person is reacting differently to their changing world. That’s really what I like about it. **I enjoy watching each character develop and change or not-change their views and values**. [/QUOTE] Bolding mine. Focussing on the last bit, I would argue that, with a few exceptions (Rick, Hershel), we’ve not seen the major characters develop because we knew very little about them in the first place (_i.e._, they were not well developed). For example, the first half of the second season was devoted to looking for a little girl no one gave a shit about. Our only real information about her and her mom (whom I presume we were to identify with) was that dad/husband Ed was a quasi-survialist redneck creep. In the ensuing episodes, the only thing we learn about Carol is that she might be crushing on Darryl. We still know nohting about Sophia, inclduing what happened to her and how she died. Where a character was developed, what little growth we saw was clusmy (Hershel’s bender – he was a drunk?) and often non-sensical (Rick’s ridiculous apology at the end of the season). The best charcters in the series so far have been Jenner and Morgan – the scene where Morgan sights up his wife is heartwrenching, great tv, as is Jenner’s scene at the begining of the last episode of season one. I’m reminded of the statement that New Gingrich sounds like what stupid people think smart people sound like. For me, The Walking Dead is what people who’ve never seen great tv think great tv looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/57 "2012-03-22T23:51:02Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > you do realize you are comparing a show about the zombie apocalypse to one of the greatest shows in the history of TV I hope? > > the show has an interesting and full on Geek premise, the fact that its even on tv at all is astounding for a dozen reason that have nothing to do with the acting/directing/script. > > I do give it a pass where 99% of the crap on Tv doesn’t get a chance in the first place. > > maybe 15 years from now someone will come along an give it the Battlestar Galactica treatment. You present your response in a semi-argumentative manner, but actually, I think we agree. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/58 "2012-03-23T01:39:26Z")
I grew up in rural north Georgia and I think they’re doing a fine job with the accents. Not perfect, by any means, but a helluva lot better than we usually get. At least they aren’t doing the more typical moonlight-and-magnolia fake accent we usually have to endure. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/59 "2012-03-23T01:42:59Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > It’s fairly typical US show acting and scripting. Fairly bad. Whether or not it’s poorly acted has little to do with it being an American show. You want some horrible acting, look no further than the breathlessly melodramatic deliveries in the British post-Apocalyptic show [Survivors](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1258189/). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489/60 "2012-03-23T01:44:30Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > At least they aren’t doing the more typical moonlight-and-magnolia fake accent we usually have to endure. Tidewater? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-how-come-nobody-talks-about-how-bad-the-acting-is/615489.md?page=4)