Fear the Walking Dead
Parents say
Based on 6 reviews
Kids say
Based on 13 reviews
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Fear the Walking Dead
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Fear the Walking Dead boasts the same graphic visuals as the bloody Walking Dead drama that spawned it. That means you'll see reanimated corpses that eat human flesh and other violent acts such as shootings, stabbings, and decapitations. Unbleeped language includes the word "s--t," and one of the main characters struggles with a heroin addiction. All that said, it's a family drama at heart, featuring a blended family dealing with their own issues as they try to navigate their changing world.
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What's the Story?
When a strange, bloody sickness strikes their city, high school guidance counselor Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and English teacher Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) are forced to forget the dysfunction of their blended families and focus on sheer survival as dead bodies inexplicably reanimate and threaten everything they hold dear. With so many unanswered questions, all they know now is to FEAR THE WALKING DEAD.
Is It Any Good?
You don't need to be a big Walking Dead fan to understand this equally gory prequel that explores the early days of the zombie apocalypse. In fact, it might actually be better if you weren't, since one of the obvious problems with a Walking Dead spin-off is that the hit series' loyal followers already know more about killing zombies than its characters do. For some Walking Dead die-hards, it will be painful to watch a noob struggle with a "walker," knowing full well that all he or she needs to do is knock its head off.
So why bother with a Walking Dead prequel at all? For one thing, it's putting down roots for the franchise to grow when The Walking Dead inevitably dies. For another, it lets the show's writers explore how a wholly new set of characters -- including a diverse blended family that's teeming with drama -- handles a survival situation of epic proportions. That alone could make Fear the Walking Dead far more relatable than its predecessor.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Fear the Walking Dead's premise and its take on human nature. How realistic is the series' depiction of people, particularly families, reacting to a life-threatening disaster? How would you and your family function in a similar situation?
What's the appeal of super graphic shows such as Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead? Is it all about the gore, or is there something more? What really keeps people watching?
What's the point of making a prequel to the popular Walking Dead series? Does it do anything differently, or is it just delivering more of what people love about the original?
TV Details
- Premiere date: August 23, 2015
- Cast: Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Rubén Blades
- Network: AMC
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Book Characters, Brothers and Sisters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: August 13, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
The Walking Dead
Grim zombie drama is artful -- but awfully bloody.
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In the Flesh
British zombie drama is cerebral thriller for hardy teens.
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iZombie
Quirky zombie-detective show has violence, heart (and guts).
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