'Walking Dead' just won't die
“The Walking Dead” returned to AMC last week to absolutely insane ratings. The explosive Season 5 premiere predictably set records for its network with more than 17 million viewers, but it also beat the NFL's Sunday night game in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
That's quite a feat for a show whose success has, frankly, mystified me for most of its time on the air. I was on board for the brief first season that felt like Stephen King's “The Stand” with zombies, but checked out early in Season 2. I still watch the occasional episode so I don't feel totally out of the loop, but find many of its characters to be loathsome.
But who cares what I think? “The Walking Dead” is a bona fide phenomenon thanks, in no small part, to its visibility on Netflix. It's already been renewed for a sixth season and will continue to draw viewers, if not Emmys — but Melissa McBride's turn as the tough-as-nails Carol could soon change that. (How could she not be your favorite character after last week's episode?)
Soon you'll find Rick Grimes and his band of survivors at your local arcade, bar or movie theater when Stern, a Melrose Park company, releases its “Walking Dead” pinball game. Thankfully, that glass should protect you from all the blood splatters.
Speaking of which ...
Wheeling once again becomes the center of the pinball universe this weekend as the Chicago Pinball Expo rolls into the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel, 601 N. Milwaukee Ave. Fans of the silverball can spend hours playing several ballrooms' worth of classic and newer games for $25 a day, beginning at 1 p.m. today until the expo closes at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Hard-core enthusiasts can also enter tournaments and attend a full slate of seminars, including a peek at the new “Big Lebowski” pinball machine. Log on to www.pinballexpo.net/seminar.pdf for the full schedule.
And while we're at it ...
The game often cited as the most popular pinball table in history will soon be available on your gaming console, phone and PC.
“The Pinball Arcade” has been bringing digital versions of real-life pinball tables to video gamers since 2012, and a recent Kickstarter campaign to acquire the licensing for the massively popular “Addams Family” table was successful. Early next year, you'll be able to play Thing Multiball and dance the Mamushka on Steam, PS4, PS3, Vita, Kindle, iOS and Android platforms. (Maybe I'll finally beat that score of 1,019,270,270 I got at Eastern Illinois University back in 1999.)
• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor and a tireless consumer of pop culture. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.