I feel like a lot of zombie fiction where characters know what zombies are and the dangerous of getting bitten end up being semi-satirical comedies. Movies and shows where the idea of zombies didn’t previously exist seem to be a bit more serious from what I’ve experienced. I don’t know if it’s the aura of suspense and mystery or because it leads to more pandemonium.
Oh hey, this was essentially my experience too, but with the Walking Dead comic! The TV series used plot points from the comic book and I think you can kinda tell where the TV series’ success started affecting the comic and the whole thing turned into an ouroboros of trying to maintain the success of a flashy zombie TV show.
I think maybe it was inevitable. Robert Kirkman’s original idea of a never-ending human drama surrounded by the pressures of zombies doesn’t seem profitable long-term without insane character deaths and (more) deliberate gore porn.