The fifth season has received widespread critical acclaim. Based on 36 reviews collected by
Rotten Tomatoes, season 5 received an average 97% 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."
[33] On
Metacritic, the season has a score of 80 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
[34] 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."
[35]
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.
[36]
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.
[37]
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."
[38]
