The Walking DeadTV show made many changes to the comic books, yet its biggest was much more subtle, though no less influential.Comic changes inThe Walking Deadshoware not uncommon, with some of the latter’s most influential characters not even existing in the former. Daryl Dixon, for example, is widely regarded as one ofThe Walking Dead’s best-ranked characters, despite not being part of the source material.
Daryl is responsible for some ofThe Walking Dead’s best episodesand character arcs, proving how the show was not afraid to make positive changes where necessary. Many of these changes have resulted in the adaptation becoming entirely its own thing, withThe Walking Dead’s many spin-offsmaking it its own franchise that is much differentiated from the comics. However, these more overt, obvious differences are not the biggestThe Walking Deadmade to the source material, with the most influential change actually being much more subtle.
The big change in question wasThe Walking Dead’s pacing. As alluded to, this change is not as evident as characters like Daryl being invented, or Rick’s relationship with Michonne rather than Andrea as it is in the comics. Instead, the pacing ofThe Walking Deadis more subtle, though those familiar with the original comic books will notice how radically different it is. In the comic books, events happened much quicker than they were presented in the show.
One major example of the different pacing in the show is Rick’s group finding the prison and the conflict they have with The Governor.The Walking DeadTV show does not introduce the prison or The Governor until the third season. In the comic books, the prison is found at the end of the second volume and The Governor is introduced in volume 5. As proven,The Walking Dead’s show timelineis much slower, deliberately so, than the source material, in order to better flesh out characters, storylines, and arcs.
The cannibals and the search for Washington all happen in one volume ofThe Walking Dead’s comics, specifically volume 11, with Alexandria being found in volume 12…
Similarly, the storyline after The Governor involving Rick’s group searching for safety and encountering cannibals happens much quicker. The cannibals and the search for Washington all happen in one volume ofThe Walking Dead’s comics, specifically volume 11, with Alexandria being found in volume 12. InThe Walking Deadshow, the storyline with the cannibals takes up the latter half of season 4 and the first episodes of season 5, with Alexandria not being found until the back half of season 5, typifyingThe Walking DeadTV show’s slower pacing.
Perhaps the most obvious example ofThe Walking DeadTV show’s sped-up pacing is the death of Shane. In the TV show, Shane survives the entire first two seasons and is killed on Hershel Greene’s farm by Rick in the penultimate episode of season 2. However,Shane never makes it to the Greene farm in the comics and is killed by Carl at the end ofThe Walking Dead’s first volume, six issues into the story. Evidently, the comic books have a much quicker pacing than the show’s chronology, with major events being more drawn out in the latter.
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The Walking Dead franchise has expanded far past the original show, and this means that there is more than one way for viewers to watch the series.
Shane’s death is one of the most important early storylines inThe Walking DeadTV show. The adaptation allowed for Shane’s character to be more fleshed out, given that he survived long enough to find Hershel’s farm. By the time of his death, it felt like a major turning point for Rick’s character as well as the overall vibe of the group of survivors. Although it was depicted as such in the comics too, the more drawn-out timeline of the show translated this better.
The Show Eventually Crafted Its Own Identity
As explored, the first five or six seasons ofThe Walking Deadfollowed the comics relatively closely. While some changes were made and many storylines were slowed down to be fleshed out further, the overarching plot points of the comics were shown inThe Walking DeadTV show. That said, as the show grew, it began to diverge from the comics more drastically.The Walking Dead’s popularity allowed the show to forge its own identity and become a franchise separate from the comics.
More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe
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This is exemplified by the manyWalking Deadspin-offs.The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, for example, takes place in an entirely different country and centers on a character that did not exist in the comics. Other spin-offs likeThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityfollow storylines set years after the original show based on Maggie and Negan, whileThe Ones Who Liveresurrected Rick who died in the original comic books. Above the many other changes, these spin-offs prove thatThe Walking Deadbecame its own thing, which arguably spiraled from the early seasons' slower, more deliberate pacing.
The Walking Dead
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The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on June 30, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
