Why It’s A Good Neo-Western TV Show: When adapting Robert Kirkman’s groundbreaking Image comic book series The Walking Dead for television, Frank Darabont envisioned its initial lead character, Rick Grimes, as “a cross between Gary Cooper and Sam Shepard,” which is, truly, a perfect match for this long, long-running series that, excluding the threat of George A. Romero-inspired flesh-eaters, is, essentially, the story of ordinary people vying for civilization in a state of lawlessness, which is the basis of every great western.
Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix here.
After waking up from a coma into a world ruled by the undead, a former sheriff’s deputy (Andrew Lincoln) is at a crossroads between what is humane and what is best for the safety of his family and friends as they attempt to navigate the post-apocalyptic landscape without becoming a meal or falling victim to even worse fates.