Check out the week’s most emotionally reacted-to TV personalities and characters below.
A Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, a Savior from “The Walking Dead” and a famous singer had viewers talking passionately on social media over the past seven days.
The Wrap has partnered with Canvs, the emotion measurement company, for a weekly look at some of the characters and personalities that have TV viewers the most worked up on social media. The data below covers Nov. 29 through Dec. 5 and is drawn from the most emotionally reacted-to television programs, including broadcast, cable, streaming and PPV.
During the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals game on ESPN, which generated 156,555 Emotional Reactions (ERs), Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a serious back injury while trying to tackle another player. As he was carted off the field, viewers took to Twitter to offer condolences, thoughts and prayers. A day later, Shazier tweeted, thanking his fans for their support. (The latest word from his doctors is that he does not require surgery at this time, but will undergo additional testing and evaluation over the next few days.)
The most recent episode of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (13,132 ERs) centered around Eugene Porter (portrayed by Josh McDermitt) and viewers were not shy about expressing their distaste for the guy. The character has never been liked — he’s been regarded as selfish, cowardly and physically weak — and this episode’s spotlight on him gave fans all the more reason to shout out their true feelings. (As always, “hate watching” is one of the great drivers of social media response to TV shows.)
On Nov. 29, the musician and five-time Grammy winner Bruno Mars debuted his TV special “24K Magic Live at the Apollo” on CBS (12,729 ERs). The show featured a performance on top of the Apollo marquee as well as moments in the streets of New York filled with music and singing — and his fans loved all of it. Messages of adoration and enjoyment flooded Twitter, with some viewers commenting about Mars’ talent and others sending typical comments about his good looks (with some haters also in the mix).
'The Walking Dead': The Most Shocking and Disturbing Deaths So Far
"The Walking Dead" has never been shy about gore and death, but some characters' demises hit harder than others. Now that the final season is upon us, let's take a look back at the carnage from past seasons.
Andrea's sister Amy (Emma Bell) was the first sympathetic named character to go, when a random walker bit her at camp.
AMC
The death of Jim (Andrew Rothenberg) in Season 1 showed the characters how to treat a bitten person for the first time.
AMC
Sophia (Madison Lintz) was beloved by all, but Rick did not hesitate when it came time to pull the trigger when she became a walker.
AMC
Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) was the moral compass of the group, so it was upsetting on several levels when a zombie ripped his guts out.
AMC
Shane (Jon Bernthal) was ready to kill Rick over his love triangle with Lori, but Rick acted first.
AMC
T-Dog (IronE Singleton) gave his life to save Carol from walkers when the group tried to take the prison.
AMC
Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) died during childbirth, prompting Carl to shoot her in the head to prevent her reanimation.
AMC
Daryl's brother Merle (Michael Rooker) finally tried to be a good man by defying the Governor -- and it got him a bullet in the heart from the Governor himself and a new life as a zombie.
AMC
Andrea (Laurie Holden) failed to see The Governor for what he was -- a bad guy -- and paid the ultimate price.
AMC
Hershel (Scott Wilson) wanted peace, but The Governor took his head to prove a point to Rick.
AMC
Tyreese (Chad Coleman) let his guard down for a just a moment, but long enough to get bitten by a walker.
AMC
Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) killed her sister Mika (Kyla Kenedy) before Carol shot Lizzie in the back of the head.
AMC
Beth (Emily Kinney) finally had enough of Dawn, the tyrannical overlord of Grady Memorial Hospital, stabbing her with a pair of scissors as a parting gift. But Dawn immediately shot Beth in the head -- prompting Daryl to in turn shoot Dawn.
AMC
Noah (Tyler James Williams) endured one of the most gruesome deaths in "Walking Dead" history thanks to Nicholas.
AMC
Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge), Ron (Austin Abrams) and Sam (Major Dodson) all died within seconds of each other. Sam got eaten when the horde invaded Alexandria. Jessie died as she tried to save him. Ron then attempted to kill Rick, but got stabbed by Michonne and was subsequently eaten.
AMC
Abraham (Michael Cuditz) was the one we had to wait six months to see murdered by Negan. He, of course, got his head beaten in with Negan's barbwire-wrapped baseball bat, Lucille.
AMC
But Abraham wasn't Negan's only victim that night. After Daryl punched Negan, Negan decided he had to make another example out of someone in the group -- and he chose Glenn.
AMC
Spencer (Austin Nichols) thought he could use Negan to kill Rick in order to assume control of Alexandria. But Negan had other plans, gutting Spencer in full view of everyone in the community.
Gene Page/AMC
Olivia (Ann Mahoney) suffered plenty of indignities at Negan's hands, and he eventually repaid her by having her shot.
AMC
Ole Dr. Carson (Tim Parati) made a critical error by saying mean things about Sherry to Dwight over and over again. So Dwight framed the good doctor for helping Daryl escape from the Saviors -- and Negan threw him into the furnace for it.
AMC
When King Ezekiel's crew was short one cantaloupe in its tribute for Negan's Saviors, Benjamin was shot in the leg as punishment. Unfortunately, the shot hit an artery, and young Ben bled out.
AMC
It turned out that Richard had tossed one of the cantaloupes because he wanted to start a war between the Kingdom and Saviors -- and he thought they would kill him for being short. They shot Ben instead, but Morgan strangled Richard the next day after Richard confessed.
AMC
Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) used Eugene's suicide pills to kill herself while she was theatrically locked in a casket because of some ridiculous thing Negan was doing. When Negan opened the casket she popped out as a walker and saved Rick and the residents of Alexandria in a clutch moment.
AMC
Morales (Juan Gabriel Pareja) returned in Season 8 after having been gone since Season 1, but that return was short-lived. Now a member of the Saviors, Morales was around again for about 10 minutes before Daryl shot him.
AMC
Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) got shot during the Alexandrians' battle against the Saviors, and then bled out and turned into a walker after a tearful goodbye scene with his boyfriend Aaron (Ross Marquand).
AMC
Shiva the tiger bit the dust while saving Ezekiel, Carol and Jerry from a bunch of walkers in Season 8. There were just too many and they swarmed and ate her.
AMC
Carl (Chandler Riggs) died in the Season 8 mid-season premiere after suffering a zombie bite in the first half of the season.
AMC
Gregory (Xander Berkeley) got his long-overdue death when he was executed by hanging for trying to murder Maggie in the Season 9 premiere.
AMC
Jesus (Tom Payne) was killed when he tried to decapitate a zombie only to discover that zombie was actually a living man disguised as one -- this was Alexandria and Hilltop's first real contact with the Whisperers.
AMC
Near the end of Season 9, the Whisperers made a big statement by killing 10 named characters at once and putting all their heads on spikes. The most notable among those killed were Tara (Alanna Masterson), Enid (Katelyn Nacon), Henry (Matt Lintz) and Tammy Rose (Brett Butler).
Siddiq (Avi Nash) was killed in Alexandria by Dante, who it turned out was a Whisperer infiltrator, because he discovered that Dante had poisoned the town's water supply.
Earl Sutton (John Finn) was killed during the battle with the Whisperers at Hilltop when he was bitten by one of their zombie horde. Over the course of this conflict, the Whisperers got his wife Tammy Rose and his son Kenneth as well.
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As the final season kicks off, we look back at some of the emotional devastation this show has wreaked over the past decade
"The Walking Dead" has never been shy about gore and death, but some characters' demises hit harder than others. Now that the final season is upon us, let's take a look back at the carnage from past seasons.