The Walking Dead inexplicably teases a naked zombie in promo

The Walking Dead. Photo / Supplied

It's no secret The Walking Dead has been losing viewers as the seasons go on, but their latest move in promo suggests things are more desperate than we feared.

The show is due to air the second half of season eight soon, and executive producer Greg Nicotero has promised this season will give us something literally no one ever asked for: zombie nudity.

Nicotero - who directed three of the eight new episodes - told Entertainment Weekly: "There's an episode where we did our first fully nude walker. We've never done that before."

There's probably a reason for that: Because it's entirely unnecessary.

Nicotero made no further clarifications on why there would be a naked zombie, or how it would be created and shot, or again: WHY there would be a naked zombie.

But fans have been quick to call the network out on what's being seen as a desperate bid for attention and ratings.

TWD are going to use naked Zombies next season. This isn't going to make your show any better. A little Zombie titty isn't going to bring in the kiddies to make your numbers any higher than the last four seasons now just end this and move on AMC you are failing so hard with TWD.

— sweetLou (@SweetlouTV) February 15, 2018

TWD hyping a naked zombie?
I remember a little film by George Romero that had a naked zombie back in the 1900's
Also naked zombie is something you are hyping? Gross pic.twitter.com/cAqqJp6Y7i

— Pochassic (@Pochassic) February 15, 2018

AMC: We've been on a rating decline, how can we turn this around?
TWD: Uhh a fully naked zombie?
AMC: Done. https://t.co/w0MVYhP8ax

— Dillon Rosenblatt (@DillonReedRose) February 14, 2018

us: can we have more heartfelt scenes of team family interacting

twd: we’ve heard you, here’s our first naked zombie !! https://t.co/14bf24WJQW

— 𝖎𝖜𝖔𝖓𝖆 (@gagaromanova) February 14, 2018

On the plus side, Nicotero also spoke about...you know...things that are actually relevant to the show.

He said the upcoming episodes would take on a different tone now with "much less talking about what's going on".

He said: "Clearly, the balance has shifted. Now that Negan and his group have escaped the Sanctuary, there's not as much talking about what the ramifications are of what we're going to do, but now our group has to be on the defensive because Negan's out and he's pi**ed and it's definitely a different dynamic than the first half of the season."

The Walking Dead returns to TVNZ2 on Monday, February 26 at 9.30pm.