Critics Have Seen The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live And They're Mixed On Andrew Lincoln And Danai Gurira's Spinoff
The Walking Dead universe is getting a little bigger, with Andrew Lincoln finally returning as Rick Grimes.
The Walking Dead (which is available with a Netflix subscription) has grown into a behemoth franchise over the years, with a number of spinoffs airing following the flagship series' 11-season run. For most of its run Andrew Lincoln starred as Rick Grimes, although he departed TWD for its final few years. But he's finally back in his signature role in the new spinoff The Ones Who Live. And critics seem pretty mixed on Lincoln and Danai Gurira's return to the franchise.
While Rick Grimes was going to get a theatrical movie, the Walking Dead OG will first return to the apocalyptic series in The Ones Who Live. While it's not released to the public just yet, critics have seen the first few episodes... and the reception is mixed. Variety called the new show "skippable." They wrote:
Collider also took umbrage with some of the choices made in The Ones Who Live, specifically its pacing. And if the show ends up having more than one season on the air, they seemingly have work cut out for them. As the publication wrote:
Pacing seems to be a common criticism for the new Walking Dead series, especially since fans of the franchise have waited a number of years for answers related to Rick, Michonne, and the mysterious CRM. ScreenRant took aim at this long wait, saying:
That being said, there is some praise coming to The Ones Who Live, especially related to the performances by Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. IGN found some merit in the new series, with their write-up saying:
The Wrap found both good and bad in the first four episodes of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. While they thing the spinoff is worth the watch, there's still some criticism. As they posted:
Luckily for fans, they'll be able to make their own judgements about the The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, as it'll premiere February 25th on AMC. While we wait, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
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Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.