Compared to the enthusiastic reactions that The Walking Dead has received from critics and audiences alike for years, the responses to Fear The Walking Dead have been tepid, to say the least. First premiering on AMC in 2015 as the first spin-off of TWD, Fear was highly anticipated but managed to drop the ball in no time.

The first few episodes of the new spin-off series had a few lame tricks and several boring, underdeveloped characters. But after that, things started looking up for the show. Fans got to like the main characters and the unique vibe that Fear The Walking Dead took on.

After many upsetting character deaths, disappearances, and disappointments, Fear had broken fans’ hearts far too many times, and then they made the fateful decision to transform what used to be fresh, different material, into a sad, haphazard clone of The Walking Dead.

Fear The Walking Dead is definitely not the show it used to be, and in its journey to get where it is today, it broke more than a few hearts. Let’s take a look at some of those notable moments.

MATT’S DEATH

The death of Alicia’s underdeveloped but seemingly sweet and good-natured boyfriend occurred in the first season of Fear The Walking Dead, and was the show’s first major character death. Matt fell ill and suffered through a slow decline before finally reanimating.

This was a heartbreaking thing for Alicia to go through, and it was even poignant for the audience as well. We never knew Matt that well, but we loved him.

TOBIAS’ DISAPPEARANCE

Since Fear The Walking Dead was off to a weak start in the beginning and the new series didn’t have a lot going for it, Tobias - a shy, awkward but well-meaning high school student - was one of the only redeeming features.

Tobias at least brought some life to the show and was more likable and relatable than the main characters at that time, so the majority of the audience gravitated. Because of this phenomenon, it seems extremely strange that the Fear writers chose to abandon Tobias and his arc, a decision that remains questionable to this day.

LIZA’S DEATH

AMC’s marketing tactic for Fear The Walking Dead in its early years was to compare to The Walking Dead in as many ways as possible. As time went on, of course, the executives ultimately opted to physically insert a piece of the original show (Morgan) into Fear, but before this, the most popular technique was comparing Fear characters to Walking Dead characters.

Liza, who was Chris’ mother and Travis’ ex-wife, was marketed as being Carol’s “counterpart”, so fans understandably gravitated toward her. When she was killed by the end of the first season, the audience was heartbroken.

CHRIS’ DEATH

Chris’ journey and ultimate death was one of the most complex on the show. The kid was certainly the most morally ambiguous main character at the time, and had the suffering and grief brought on by the death of his mother had severely traumatized him.

Audiences weren’t particularly fond of Chris by the time of his demise, but the concept - and watching his family suffer through the tragedy - was what made it heartbreaking.

TRAVIS’ DEATH

Here we have one of the most shocking incidents ever to occur on Fear The Walking Dead: Travis’ untimely demise. This was just the beginning of the series killing off the better part of its original cast. Maybe long-running series like Grey’s Anatomy and even The Walking Dead itself can pull something like that off, but Fear was just a little premature on this bold move.

Travis was a kind character who often served as the series’ moral compass (much like TWD’s Glenn, Tyreese, Hershel, the list goes on…), so seeing him go was extremely upsetting for the audiences and characters alike.

STRAND’S EVOLUTION

Strand is one of the very few original characters left in Fear The Walking Dead, and he’s definitely one of the very few fan-favorites. Having complex storylines and impressive development, Strand’s success with the viewers comes as no surprise.

Strand had been through a lot, both before the apocalypse and during. He has suffered many losses, including his partner and his best friend, Madison. His evolution is probably the most interesting that the show has to offer, and it’s also most likely the most heartbreaking.

MADISON’S DEMISE

Madison had been Fear The Walking Dead’s version of Rick Grimes since day one. It was extremely refreshing to see this series take the route of having a female lead, and Madison carried the show for multiple seasons.

In season 4, the show made a career out of dragging out the mysterious fate of Madison for far too many episodes, before revealing that she sacrificed herself and wound up dying. It seemed like an unjust fate for such a strong, prominent character, and it put a sizable dent in the series.

NICK’S DEATH

Nick had been Fear The Walking Dead’s closest thing to Daryl Dixon since day one, but even his Lovable Bad Boy status couldn’t protect him from the killing spree that was season 4. Along with Madison, Nick was tragically killed in the process of shaping Fear into a completely different series.

Being a fan-favorite, Nick’s death was probably the most heartbreaking on the series, and many fans were outraged. Killing off this character was clearly a bad move.

THE FALL OF THE DIAMOND

At the beginning of season 4, it was revealed that the survivors had found sanctuary and at least temporary safety in a large baseball diamond. The characters referred to their new home as “the diamond” and were clearly very comfortable there, living their best post-apocalyptic lives.

The diamond was ultimately destroyed, along with the survivors’ sense of security, and Madison’s life. This was undeniably heartwrenching.

THE LOSS OF THE CORE FOUR

What some would argue as being the last nail in the Fear The Walking Dead’s coffin, was the choice to dispose of the core four: Travis, Madison, Nick, and Alicia. These characters had been through everything together, so when three of them were killed off and Alicia was the only survivor, Fear The Walking Dead became something else entirely.

Losing these beloved characters that had made the show something unique and completely its own was a heartbreaking thing. It turned several fans off of the show for good. Nevertheless, we will always remember the old Fear The Walking Dead fondly.