America's Obsession with the End of the World

During its season five opener, AMC's The Walking Dead attracted 17.3 million viewers, 2.5 million more than all of Sunday night football did. It is, and has been, the most popular show on cable television- yes, even more popular than Breaking Bad. It even has its very own talk show, The Talking Dead (somewhat like post-game for a football game), which immediately follows every episode. As a recent viewer, I know The Walking Dead, in addition to its popularity, is also one of the darkest, most violent shows ever.  Character are constantly dying gruesome and heart-breaking deaths, either at the bloody hands of another survivor, or a horde of the undead. Only four original characters of the total thirty something characters have lasted all five seasons without being "killed off". There appears to be little hope for the survivors as they slowly descend farther and farther from their own humanity, both physically and psychologically. So why is it America's favorite show?

According to an article in Time magazine, this newfound obsession may be a result of the media constantly feeding frightening news to people everyday, and causing people "to envision how we and our own would thrive if everything went to hell and we lost all societal supports". It suggests that Americans enjoy having a glimpse into the world that is constantly being placed in their mind by the media, with its alarming stories of anything from financial crisis to global warming, Ebola to the collapse of the U.S. power grid. Perhaps there is a sort of appeal, whether it be a comfort or an excitement, that accompanies experiencing a story of survival in a world ravaged by something far worse than viewer could ever imagine for the real world. The story of the people battling the worst of all hardship is what draws in the most, loyal fans.

If The Walking Dead is so popular truly because of the thrill of experiencing this post-apocalyptic scenario, why is it that Americans are interested in such tragedy, even considering it a form of entertainment? After all, as any viewer can tell you, the show focused on extremely unpleasant content. Is the show's popularity truly a temporary trend due to current world conflicts? Is it bound to go away as easily as trends change? Or, is this extreme type of television one to stay and evolve into the cultural norm?