AMC's
The Walking Dead has seen its fair share of trouble over the past few years, being abandoned by both long time viewers as well as a few former cast members. While still managing to retain high numbers, many fans are unhappy with the direction the showrunners have chosen to take things, which is significantly different from both the way things used to be and the source material.
Actor Chad Coleman, who played Tyreese in Seasons 3-5, wasn't shy about admitting that he too eventually chose to stop watching the show. He gives good reasons, but if you haven't seen
The Walking Dead Season 7 then stop reading now as his comments contain spoilers for the premiere and more.
No, I haven't been. You know, after Glenn and Abraham ... Negan smashed their heads in that way. It was just kinda like, 'That’s enough for me. Thanks guys. Take care. All the best.' But they're coming back around to more nuanced, less extreme characters.
Regarding that more "nuanced" stuff he mentions, he goes into a bit more detail on that and why he enjoyed playing a character like Tyreese.
That's one of the benefits and joys of playing Tyreese. He's a very real man in a very tough situation. You felt his humanity, his sensitivity, and all of the things that all of us just as regular folks, I would imagine, would go through. So they're getting back to nuanced character stuff with [new showrunner] Angela Kang. She was very much a part of, as a writer, what I would call the glory years. Seasons 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. All of that. So she's at the helm, proud of her, so I look forward to a change.
It sounds like he's willing to watch again if things turn around going forward. A lot of fans have sworn off the show now that Rick is no longer a part of the main narrative. What about you?
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic survival series featuring a large ensemble cast of survivors of the zombie apocalypse, trying to stay alive from the near-constant threat of attacks from the mindless zombies, colloqially known as walkers. However, with the fall of humanity these survivors also face conflict from other living survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own sets of laws and morals, often leading to hostile conflict between the human communities.
The Walking Dead airs on AMC on Sunday nights at 9.