Return of the Dead

Over the past few years, cable network AMC has built up its credibility in the industry with a strong group of critically acclaimed series. While "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" may claim the most award attention, and freshman series "The Killing" generated the most controversy, it's "The Walking Dead" which became the network's highest rated series.

Last fall, "The Walking Dead" had a six-episode initial run, creating a phenomenon. The show, based on a graphic novel and developed for the small screen by Frank Darabont ("The Green Mile," "The Shawshank Redemption"), made an impact because it rose above the standard conventions of the genre.

Zombie stories have been a staple of the entertainment world for decades. It really dates back to the novel "I Am Legend" in the 1950s. The 1954 novel written by Richard Matheson has had a large influence in American pop culture and in the variations of this type of end-of-the-world scenario. The novel is credited with building up the zombie genre through its “story of the apocalypse due to disease.” The source material was adapted into a movie in 1964 called “Last Man Standing,” then again into the film “The Omega Man” in 1971. Finally, it was adapted as “I Am Legend” in 2007.

In addition to adaptations of the source material directly, it provided the creative spark for the modern zombie genre. It is often cited as the inspiration for “Night of the Living Dead,” the famous George Romero film in 1968 that kicked off the wave of films that continues today. Often, the result of these pandemics is some killer new disease that crops up or, worse, is created by men in a laboratory.

Of course, the zombie tale is a popular theory of the end of the world; one I covered with Pastor Israel this summer. And the idea of a pandemic sweeping the world has a foundation in the Scriptures as well. Pestilence — or infectious, communicable, and contagious diseases — is often referred to as one of the four horseman of the Apocalypse referenced in Revelation. Additionally, there are references throughout the book of Revelation that correspond with some kind of pandemic disease taking its toll on the Earth.

"The Walking Dead" doesn't shy away from those ideas, instead it tackles those ideas head-on. In fact, what helps it rise above the typical exploration of zombies is that the show is more interested in the emotional journey of the survivors than with the action sequences. Not that there aren't action sequences that are riveting too.

The show follows a band of survivors as they attempt to re-create society, maintain social values, and survive in a world that's slipping away. The stories of family, survival, and reconciling the ideas of God with the lack of humanity present in the world are fascinating. That is one of the most fascinating aspect of stories in this genre, and as a weekly series the focus on the human aspect of a world lacking in humanity is engrossing.

The second season of "The Walking Dead" begins tonight. It will be a longer season, and undoubtedly another engrossing and challenging season. Though it's not for the faint of heart, those that enjoy the genre will be fascinated by this little series.