Country of origin United States Original network AMC | No. of episodes 16 | |
Starring Andrew Lincoln
Norman Reedus
Steven Yeun
Lauren Cohan
Chandler Riggs
Danai Gurira
Melissa McBride
Michael Cudlitz
Emily Kinney
Chad L. Coleman
Sonequa Martin-Green
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Josh McDermitt
Christian Serratos
Alanna Masterson
Seth Gilliam
Andrew J. West Original release October 12, 2014 (2014-10-12) – March 29, 2015 (2015-03-29) |
The fifth season of The Walking Dead, an American horror-drama television series on AMC, premiered on October 12, 2014, and concluded on March 29, 2015, consisting of 16 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The executive producers were Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, and Gale Anne Hurd; Gimple was also the season's showrunner. The fifth season received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for multiple awards at both the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards and 41st Saturn Awards.
Contents
- Main cast
- Starring
- Also starring
- Terminus
- The Hunters
- Grady Memorial Hospital
- Alexandria Safe Zone
- Miscellaneous
- Production
- Writing
- Critical response
- Accolades
- Ratings
- Broadcast
- Home media releases
- References
This season adapts material from issues #62–77 of the comic book series and introduces notable comic characters, including the cannibalistic hunters from Terminus, Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) and Aaron (Ross Marquand), as well as the Anderson and Monroe families. The season continues the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group of survivors as they search for sanctuary, but face new threats from both walkers and other (hostile) human survivors. It also marks the return of Morgan Jones (Lennie James), who was last seen in the third season episode "Clear." The first half of the season focuses on the group escaping from Terminus, after finding themselves in a vulnerable situation, where they learn the true motives of the Terminans and the rescue of Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) from Grady Memorial Hospital. In the midst of events, part of the group is also traveling to Washington, D.C. in search of a possible cure for the walker virus. In the second half of the season, the group encounters and joins the Alexandria Safe-Zone: a walled town, whose inhabitants have little experience dealing with external threats.
Main cast
The fifth season features 17 series regulars: 10 of the actors are featured in the opening credits; the other seven are credited as "also starring." Michael Cudlitz, who portrays Sgt. Abraham Ford, is added in the opening sequence after being listed as recurring in the previous season, as are Emily Kinney and Chad L. Coleman, who portray Beth Greene and Tyreese Williams, respectively, after previously being credited as "also starring." Credited as "also starring" are Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Alanna Masterson, and Andrew J. West, who were promoted to series regulars after being listed as recurring in the previous season, and Seth Gilliam joins as a series regular as Father Gabriel Stokes. Kinney and Coleman's names are removed from the opening credits after episode 9; they are added back in episode 13 for a brief flashback scene.
Starring
Also starring
Terminus
The Hunters
Grady Memorial Hospital
Alexandria Safe-Zone
Miscellaneous
Production
The series was renewed for a fifth season on October 29, 2013. Season 5 began filming on May 5, 2014 and finished filming on November 22, 2014. Scott M. Gimple continued the role of showrunner, a position he held since season 4. In January 2015, it was announced that Ross Marquand had been cast in a series regular role, to debut during the second half of the season. It was believed Marquand would play Aaron, a prominent character from the comic series. The character debuted in the episode "Them" and his role as Aaron was confirmed. The season finale aired in an expanded 90-minute time slot. Season 5 also introduces prominent characters from the graphic novels including Aaron, Eric, Olivia, Tobin, Bruce, and Nicholas.
The titles of the final five episodes of the season ("Remember," "Forget," "Spend," "Try," and "Conquer"), which feature the characters in Alexandria, refer to William Faulkner's novel The Sound and the Fury, which Dale quotes from in the season 1 episode "Vatos."
Writing
Scott Gimple remarked that the television series would be following its source material more than ever in Season 5, with exceptions including original characters such as Daryl Dixon, and deceased characters from the comics alive in the television series and vice versa.
The fifth season adapted material from the comic books "Volume 10: What We Become," "Volume 11: Fear the Hunters," "Volume 12: Life Among Them" and "Volume 13: Too Far Gone." While the television series has remained faithful, the character of Beth Greene and her story arc have been largely made up for the television series. Despite this, the event in which Rick chases down a man who betrayed the group's trust was a moment from the source material, albeit with a different character.
Critical response
The fifth season has received widespread critical acclaim. Based on 31 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, season 5 received an average 90% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating; the website's consensus states, "Thanks to a liberal dose of propulsive, bloody action and enough compelling character moments to reward longtime fans, The Walking Dead's fifth season continues to deliver top-notch entertainment." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 80 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Brian Lowry of Variety gave the fifth-season premiere a positive review, saying: "After the (rather too) long and winding road to Terminus, 'The Walking Dead' opens its fifth season in spectacular fashion, a dazzling adrenaline rush filled with suspense, righteous violence and, before it's all over, genuine emotion. Imbued with cinematic touches, the only downside to this breathtaking episode is pondering what the creative brain trust can do for an encore. Still, AMC's megahit finds itself in a very good place, from the current makeup of its ever-evolving cast to the latitude it has earned to take unexpected detours. Given the hype surrounding the series, it's still impressive to see the producers deliver such a feast."
Several critics have felt the fifth season has been a huge improvement to its preceding seasons. Todd VanDerWerff for Vox, wrote: "...it's not unprecedented for a series to have its best season in its fifth year, but it's definitely strange for a show to make this big of a leap this late in its run." He praised all aspects of the storytelling and conception of the fifth season, singling out the action, themes, characters, advanced storylines, newly introduced anthology character-focused episodes, and overall improvements to the material the show has always worked with.
Similarly, writing for Grantland, Andy Greenwald praised Scott M. Gimple as showrunner, particularly noting him as an improvement to Glen Mazzara and Frank Darabont, as well as praising the increase in minorities and resulting racial diversity among the main cast. He further commented: "Gimple has also done wonders with the characters he inherited," and singled out characters such as Beth Greene and Tyreese, praising their newly established complexities and character evolution. The constantly shifting environments and surrounding threats were also noted and lauded. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club in his review of "Consumed," summarized the season as a whole, saying: "This is a large part of why The Walking Dead has gotten so good this season: The writers have found a way to exploit subtext and history in compelling, haunting ways."
Laura Prudom of Variety on her review of "Conquer" commented that "...season five represents a marked improvement over the stagnation of previous years, with the promise of Alexandria breathing new life into the series, offering our group a form of opposition that isn't inherently wrong, unlike The Governor or the Termites." She assessed it as having "arguably been "The Walking Dead's" best yet, propelled by compulsive story threads and fascinating character dynamics."
Accolades
For the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, the season was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series. For the 41st Saturn Awards, the season received seven nominations and three wins. Wins included: Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, Best Actor on Television (Andrew Lincoln), and Best Supporting Actress on Television (Melissa McBride). Nominations included: Best Supporting Actor on Television (Norman Reedus), Best Supporting Actress on Television (Emily Kinney), Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series (Chandler Riggs), and Best Guest Starring Role on Television (Andrew J. West).
Ratings
^1 Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.
Broadcast
The first half of the season premiered on Fox International Channels on October 13, 2014. Episodes air a day later than in the United States. The second half debuted on February 9, 2015.
Home media releases
The fifth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1/A on August 25, 2015. Special features include "Inside The Walking Dead" and "The Making of The Walking Dead" featurettes for every episode; eight other featurettes titled, "Beth's Journey," "Bob's Journey," "Noah's Journey," "Tyreese's Journey," "A Day in the Life of Michael Cudlitz," "A Day in the Life of Josh McDermitt," and "Rotters in the Flesh"; deleted scenes; and audio commentaries with cast and crew. A special limited edition Blu-ray packaging set, featuring the "asphalt" walker, designed by Greg Nicotero and sculpted by McFarlane Toys, was released on December 1, 2015.