COUCH POTATO: THE WALKING DEAD

TV Talk.

I hate zombie films. I don't really watch them alot. Not fond of them at all. I think the only movie I really liked was the remake of Dawn Of The Dead. Because it was directed by the same director of 300. But other than that, I stay away from those films.

I've heard alot of hype about The Walking Dead after a preview of it was shown in one of the comic cons in the US earlier this year. I already know about it, since this is an adaptation of the comic book created by Robert Kirkman, with Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. Add the fact that this was developed for television by Frank Darabont, the same guy who directed "The Shawshank Redemption", I had a hint that this show was going to be a winner.

I saw the first episode a few weeks ago, and by God, it did not disappoint. One of the finest hour of television this year (or hour and a half with commercials). This show is riveting.

The Walking Dead is the story of Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln, better known as the guy who fell in love with Kiera Knightley in Love Actually, the cardboard guy) who wakes up from a coma to a post apocalyptic Atlanta. A place where the undead or 'walkers' rule the country. He sets off to find his son and wife (who unknown to him is having an affair with his best friend).

I have read the first issue of the comic and I'd say that the show is about 95% faithful to the printed material. This is a show that's not about zombies. Although there's plenty of scares, gore, violence, and even sex on this series, it is about the drama. A man conflicted about killing his wife who's been infected by the plague. A black guy leaving behind a fellow survivor who is a racist. It's all about characterization in this show. And the cast delivers brilliant performances.

The first season is only six episodes long, so it's fairly easy to follow. And right now, we're only at episode two, so there's still four more to go before it goes on a break.

The good thing is that it's widely acclaimed and is breaking records in terms of ratings, so a 13-episode season 2 is already in the works for next year.

I don't recommend alot of pop culture stuff these days but trust me on this, you will love this show.

The verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED