I had a hard time with the first 3 episodes of FotWD because... I mean, you know how the story ends. And they've successfully ripped off the intro of 28 Days Later twice in two series, which is nice for those of us who follow the horror genre in general.
They both suffer from the fact that neither story is really destined for perpetuity, which explains the highs and lows in storytelling. It is shot better than TWD, though.
The franchise remains the Big Mac of horror. Tasty. Not very satisfying for the palate or the body or anything beyond your reptile brain.