History YMMV / TheWalkingDead2010

** Beth gains posthumous status. During Tyreese's hallucination, Imaginary!Beth is seen driving ''without looking at the road'', which causes many fans to semi-jokingly state that Imaginary Beth is better driver than Lori. (see MemeticLoser below)

** Shane has become one in recent years, thanks in large part to Creator/JonBernthal's energetic performance and memorable lines.

** "Rest in Peace" opens with the group battling the variant-led horde, but by the next scene in the hospital when [[spoiler:Luke dies]], they're safe inside the hospital, with Carol telling Daryl what happened afterwards. Granted, the former scene ended with Carol clearing a path through the horde and everyone sans [[spoiler:Jules]] escaping, but it's still a very jarring time cut, especially since Daryl was last seen unconscious on the hospital floor during the ColdOpen. It brought back negative memories of similar miraculous offscreen escapes in the seventh season of ''Fear'' from earlier in the year.

* FountainOfMemes: Pretty much ''everything'' that [[MemeticBadass Daryl]] and [[NarmCharm Abraham]] say or do will result in a popular joke about their characters. [[MemeticPsychopath Carol]] and [[MemeticTroll Negan]] have become this as well.

** Andrea lost a lot of credibility in Season 3 after trying so hard to become a competent ActionGirl. The moment she meets [[EvilIsSexy the Governor]], she becomes infatuated with him and does absolutely everything he says without question, causing her to lash out against anyone who hates him despite the fact that he's so ObviouslyEvil.

** Thanks to a joke about [[EvilIsSexy Negan's attractiveness]] from Cassandra Peterson on ''Talking Dead'', fans now like to joke about [[TheDreaded Negan]] and ''Creator/ElviraMistressOfTheDark'' ending up together.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Shane was the show's MrFanservice before and after his FaceHeelTurn.
** The Governor, who's had a ShirtlessScene a few times.
** Negan. Some fans were terrified ''and'' turned on during his first appearance.
** Laura, the Savior lieutenant who babysits Eugene during his first visit to the Sanctuary.
** DarkActionGirl [[spoiler:Leah]] is quite the looker too, especially in the all-black outfit she wears while hunting Maggie in "Acts of God".
** [[spoiler:Fake Stephanie]], a.k.a. Shira, earns a spot here after being revealed as one of Lance's cronies who was tasked with [[HoneyTrap honey potting]] Eugene.

* TheScrappy:
** Lori is easily the least popular character in early seasons mainly for being [[{{Wangst}} whiny]], [[TheDitherer indecisive]], [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]], and [[TheLoad creating more problems than she solves]], but her StayInTheKitchen philosophy and first appearance cheating on Rick (even if she [[AccidentalAdultery thought he was dead]]) don't help at all. ''WebVideo/HonestTrailers'' sums up fan reactions quite well by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNxvo8AcpQQ calling her]] "the most hated character on a show full of flesh-eating monsters." Some viewers feel she gets better after [[AuthorsSavingThrow admitting her flaws]] in Season 3, [[spoiler: just in time to be killed off.]]
** Andrea became this after the events of "Chupacabra" when, after doing little but {{Wangst}}ing about suicide and wanting to be a lookout, her RecklessGunUsage nearly killed Daryl. While she somewhat redeemed herself later by taking a level in badass, she became a BaseBreakingCharacter once again in Season 3 by becoming an oblivious Governor supporter. She also gains extra hate from fans of the comic, due to being a complete {{Adaptational Wimp}} who's practically Andrea {{In Name Only}}, especially since her comic counterpart is actually one of the most popular characters in the entire series.
** Allen and Ben are widely hated for being [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful]] {{jerkass}}es who are [[InNameOnly nothing like their comic counterparts]], HateSink qualities aside. Ben also gets hate for [[ContrivedCoincidence conveniently]] walking into a bullet meant for the Governor.
** Noah didn't endear himself to fans by becoming TheLoad who frequently breaks down and constantly needs saving. The fact that [[spoiler: Beth]] died to free him only for Noah to play an indirect role in [[spoiler: Tyreese]]'s death in the ''very next episode'' just sealed the deal. [[spoiler:His eventual graphic death]] only earns him more hate for rendering [[spoiler:Beth's]] HeroicSacrifice even more pointless.
** Father Gabriel in Season 5 was a DirtyCoward and TheLoad whose most significant contributions were leading a zombie horde to overrun the church and telling Deanna [[UngratefulBastard not to trust Rick or his group]]. His negligence in leaving the front gate open also allows a few walkers to infiltrate the town. Thankfully, he [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap improved]] big time.
** Nicholas was a total HateSink in Season 5 for being an arrogant jerkass and DirtyCoward who gets [[spoiler:Noah]] killed and tries to murder [[spoiler:Glenn]] purely out of spite. It also doesn't help that [[spoiler:his ultimate act of suicide nearly gets Glenn killed.]]
** Ron and Sam, the former for [[CrazyJealousGuy trying to kill Carl]] and getting the house the group was hiding out in overrun by walkers and the latter for [[GenreBlind threatening to blow the group's cover during their desperate bid to blend with the horde]].
** Eugene has received a considerable amount of hate especially in Season 7 after [[spoiler:betraying Rick and his group by joining the Saviors]] and once again becoming the same coward he was before, despite [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass in Season 6]]. While fans prayed it was some sort of ploy, his reception only got worse when [[spoiler:time and time again he admitted it was a genuine FaceHeelTurn.]] The hate for his character increased to insane amounts, to the point that his actor started to receive ''death threats''. Thankfully, reception has become much warmer since the events of the Season 8 finale, [[spoiler:in which Eugene saved the day by rigging the Saviors' guns to explode.]]
** As one of the show's many famously unpopular child characters, Henry had an uphill battle to become sympathetic almost by default, but many viewers lost patience with him in Season 8 when he becomes a remorseless CreepyChild who pulled off a display of staggering stupidity by [[spoiler: opening ''the door to the prison'' to threaten the captive Saviors, which naturally allows [[ZergRush every single one of them to bum-rush him and escape.]]]] His actions during the Whisperer arc in Season 9 didn't exactly fare much better.
** Hilltop teens Gage and Rodney, introduced shortly after Henry’s teen self, were mostly TooDumbToLive bullies and were added to the pile of unpopular child characters.
** Even for a character we’re supposed to hate, Pope is regarded as one of the worst villains of the franchise due to being too much of a retread of past villains (Alpha’s crazed cultist ways, Negan burning one of his own people alive, and The Governor being willing to slaughter his own men for failure) and lacking any nuanced or humanizing character traits, or anything to make him a unique antagonist. The fact that [[spoiler:he’s only around for four episodes]] and accomplishes nothing in them (in an arc that was already accused of TrappedByMountainLions) has also made many fans eager to leave him behind in the history books. He also [[spoiler:never gets too much calling out for his crazed, nonsensical ways despite being killed by Leah, with no explanation for why he decided to make Maggie his enemy, making his death not as satisfying as people had hoped.]]

** After a widely acclaimed first season that was hailed as one of the best shows on television, the second season was seen by many fans as a SophomoreSlump. With Creator/FrankDarabont having left the show, the new {{show runner}}s and writing team were still finding their footing, and in the first half of the season especially, the show was accused of [[{{Filler}} spinning its wheels]] on Hershel's farm. Fortunately, things picked up again by the end of the season, and while seasons three through five are not without their flaws, they have since come to be viewed as the show's GoldenAge.

** That said, even Season 2 can be considered a great season depending on what one likes about the show. The group of characters Season 1 first introduced us to and got invested in their development as a group are mostly all still around, new characters introduced as short-order cannon fodder are kept to a minimum, and some would say Shane's BlackAndGreyMorality and shared history with many of the characters makes him a more sympathetic villain than the less ambiguously evil Governor/Philip Blake that followed him. The action and excitement level of the last couple of episodes also could hardly be denied. The fact there's still a lingering sense of hope to some of the characters' outlooks and a remaining sense of moral dilemma in carrying out actions which would later be taken for granted as means of survival also makes it at least feel like a necessary transitional season for many of the characters.

* WatchedItForTheRepresentation: The introduction of Connie and Kelly, played by actresses who are actually deaf and hard-of-hearing, respectively, has received praise for its accuracy and adding a fresh and interesting new perspective to the storyline.
* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: While most of the cast match their comics counterpart extremely well. Fans of Comics Siddiq are very disappointed that TV Siddiq barely resembles his comics counterpart outside of skin tone and being bearded. Comics Siddiq is an Arab American Muslim construction worker who is the resident Big Guy due to being a mountain of muscle. TV Siddiq is portrayed by Indian American non-Muslim Avi Nash who is average height and slim. What makes his portrayal more eye rolling is thay he is portrayed as a generic Brown Asian/Muslim Doctor guy with mediocore combat ability (somewhat a tired trope for Brown Asian men in fiction). Some fan even noted that Avi Nash is a better fit for Sheriff Kapoor who never appears in the TV show.

** The complex leader Ian is [[spoiler:only around for one scene]], but he makes quite the impression due to be a well-acted special guest appearance by Creator/MichaelBiehn.

* CompleteMonster:
** "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS06E16LastDayOnEarth Last Day on Earth]]", Seasons 7 & 8: [[AxCrazy Simon]] is [[Characters/TheWalkingDead2010NeganSmith Negan]]'s right-hand man and the most vicious and bloodthirsty member of [[Characters/TheWalkingDead2010TheSaviors the Saviors]]. Seeing gratuitous slaughter and twisted mind games as the only solution against revolting communities, Simon [[EstablishingCharacterMoment makes his debut after having just finished wiping out]] an entire community of survivors, before beating and lynching the remaining survivor as an example for Rick's group. When Negan sends Simon to make another deal with the Scavengers and kill one for betraying them, he massacres the whole community instead while forcing their leader to watch. During Negan's absence, Simon leads his men towards Hilltop with the intent of exterminating them all. When [[Characters/TheWalkingDead2010MaggieGreene Maggie]] tries to blackmail him by using his captured men as hostages, Simon simply dismisses them as "damaged goods" and attacks the colony while they are on the line of fire. Simon has his men smear their weapons with walker blood, ensuring that it would infect all the wounded. He is also the one behind the tragedy of the Oceanside, having massacred their entire male population [[WouldHurtAChild above the age of ten]] for revolting against Negan's rule, which [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgusted even Negan himself]]. After Negan's return, Simon tries to launch a coup against him, despite Negan [[UngratefulBastard having forgiven him for his atrocities multiple times]].
** "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS05E01NoSanctuary No Sanctuary]]": [[{{Sadist}} The Crazed Man]] was a horrid leader of a group who took over [[Characters/TheWalkingDead2010Terminus Terminus]] after [[UngratefulBastard being let in gracefully]], trapping everyone while murdering and torturing people and raping the women, including the leader Mary. In a flashback in which he tosses Mary back in after a session and has his men drag a woman out, he laughs at Gareth and Alex misery and hits them. A completely sadistic maniac, he is the direct cause behind Terminus being the [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalistic]] community who'll kill any group that doesn't join to keep themselves safe.
** "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS09E14Scars Scars]]": [[EvilAllAlong Jocelyn]] is a [[EvilFormerFriend former friend of Michonne's]] and the leader of a cult of ChildSoldiers she herself has kidnapped and brainwashed to do her bidding. Initially taken in as a wounded survivor within Alexandria Safe Zone, Jocelyn first comes across as supporting and amiable before kidnapping young Judith Grimes and killing another Alexandrian resident. When Daryl and Michonne follow her, they are imprisoned and tortured by Jocelyn's children, with Jocelyn gloating that "the children can't be soft". Jocelyn sends her children after the pregnant Michonne when the latter manages to get loose, with all of them trying to slice open her stomach, while Jocelyn escapes and [[DirtyCoward tries to save her own skin]]. When this fails, she tries to kill Michonne herself. Even after her death, the remaining children swear loyalty to Jocelyn and try to kill Michonne while having Judith kidnapped. While only a minor villain, Jocelyn's encounter leaves Michonne with deep physical and emotional scars.
** "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS11E21Outpost22 Outpost 22]]" & "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS11E22Faith Faith]]": [[WardensAreEvil The Warden]] is the abusive commanding officer of the [[Characters/TheWalkingDead2010TheCommonwealth Commonwealth]] Army and the leader of Outpost 22, which he took over and subjected all the prisoners to severe slave labor and abuse, torturing and executing them for the smallest infractions. The Warden completely strips all of them of their identity to psychologically break them, while being an abusive boss. The Warden is shown to be [[TheDreaded completely feared]], with prisoners being so afraid that they are willing to kill themselves so they don't face The Warden's wrath. Intending to break [[Characters/TheWalkingDead2010NeganSmith Negan]], [[EvilCounterpart the Warden]] attempts to kill the latter's pregnant wife to spite him, before attempting to brutally suppress a rebellion and calling for their executions. A sadistic and ruthless tyrant, The Warden ultimately serves as who Negan would've been if he had shed his humanity.

** The show received ''intense'' negative critical and fan backlash to the extremely controversial cliffhanger used at the end of Season 6 (to the point where it ''barely'' qualifies as BrokenBase above since almost ''nobody'' cared for it). Given how pretty much every interview with the cast and crew since the episode's airing involved the cliffhanger somehow, this move widely regarded as a major misstep will never be forgotten. What has truly not done the show any favors was WordOfGod's explanation for why they decided to do this (and the other questionable cliffhangers earlier in the season) on the episode of ''Talking Dead'' following the season finale, which bordered on ViewersAreMorons, as it (they write in a shocking moment and the show then focuses on all of the surviving characters' reactions to it) pretty much boiled down to explaining the basic concept of a WhamEpisode, if not simple plot progression, and does nothing to actually explain it. In hindsight, it should be noted that the Season 7 premiere was ultimately the point of no return for the show's ratings to date, as they have steadily declined ever since.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: This has been the stance of show runners like Scott Gimple and Robert Kirkman regarding the extremely negative reception to the sixth season finale's cliffhanger. The two have consistently defended it, as they claim the aim of the cliffhanger was to get people talking about the show. Kirkman even referred to the post-cliffhanger chaos, speculation and backlash as "fun". The two have indicated a nonchalance about the negative reception and have only passively made any effort to apologize to the majority of fans and critics angry with the decision. It didn't go very well for the show, however, as ratings plummeted in the subsequent two seasons and to date have never recovered.

** "Alexandria Resident 9," the last (and currently longest-living) unnamed survivor of Alexandria identified via the [[TheWikiRule Walking Dead Wiki]].

** Seeing [[spoiler:Connie and Kelly]] reunited after the former had been presumed dead in a cave-in, stuck for days in the Whisperers' walker horde, and nearly devoured by a bunch of feral cannibals residing in a mansion. It's especially satisfying considering what happened the last time two sisters ([[spoiler:Maggie and Beth]]) had been separated for a prolonged period of time; it's nice to see this kind of storyline get a ''happy'' ending.

** Daryl, especially after his RatedMForManly exploits in his first CharacterFocus episode in "Chupacabra".

** "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS11E21Outpost22 Outpost 22]]" and “[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS11E22Faith Faith]]”: [[WardensAreEvil The Warden]] is the abusive Commanding Officer of Commonwealth and the leader of Outpost 22, which he took over of Alexandria, which subjected all the prisoners to severe slave labor and abuse, torturing and executing them for the smallest infractions, and he completely strips all of them of their identity to psychologically break them, while being an [[BadBoss abusive boss]]. He shows to be completely feared, with [[DrivenToSuicide prisoners being so afraid that they are willing to kill themselves so they don’t face The Warden’s wrath]]. With the intent to break Negan, he attempts to kill his pregnant wife to spite him, before attempting to brutally suppress a rebellion and calling for their execution. A sadistic and ruthless tyrant, The Warden ultimately serves as who Negan would’ve been if he shedded his humanity.

** "[[Recap/TheWalkingDeadS05E01NoSanctuary No Sanctuary]]": [[{{Sadist}} The Crazed Man]] was a horrid leader of a group who took over Terminus [[UngratefulBastard after being let in gracefully]], trapping everyone while murdering and torturing people and raping the women, including the leader Mary, and in a flashback in which he tosses Mary back in after a session and has his men drag a woman out, he laughs at Gareth and Alex misery and hits them. A completely sadistic maniac, he is the direct cause towards Terminus being the cannibalistic community who’ll kill any group that doesn’t join to keep themselves safe.

** The Commonwealth soldiers are frequently called "[[Film/StarWars Stormtroopers]]" because, [[https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Walking-Dead-Season-11-Commonwealth-Soldiers.jpg well...]] This trend popped up back when they were introduced in the comic, and it had only escalated upon the Commonwealth soldiers coming to big screen.

** The Governor and especially Negan are often painted as leaders who merely [[IDidWhatIHadToDo did what they had to do to keep their people safe]] and some viewers insist the audience would have a completely different perspective if the story had been told from ''their'' POV instead of Rick's. While both of these things might be true up to a point, The Governor was ''also'' shown to be willing to gun down someone simply for believing they could be a threat to his power, while Negan ordered the Saviors to kill one person from each new group ''on sight'' and sadistically murdered [[spoiler:Glenn and Abraham]] while forcing their loved ones to watch. While Rick's group slaughtering Negan's outpost was indeed a questionable move on Rick's part, saying Negan is entirely in the right ignores how he was forcing communities to bow to him while letting his soldiers run amok terrorizing the residents at every opportunity. Rick outright states this to be the case in the Season 8 finale.

** Over 6 months have gone by from Michonne's [[spoiler:departure in "What We Become"]] to the Commonwealth soldiers arriving at the Hilltop's gates in "Trust". Yet no one seems especially perturbed by what might have happened to [[spoiler:Michonne]] after all this time, even when Judith brings up that she hopes her mother knows where to find them once she and most of the main characters have moved to the Commonwealth.

** Rosita's reaction to [[spoiler:her ex-boyfriend Abraham's murderer being spared]] has never really been explored and she doesn't seem that bugged by it, especially compared to Maggie. It's egregious considering she spent much of Season 7 on a borderline-suicidal vengeance quest to ensure that [[spoiler:Negan would die.]]