''The Walking Dead'' is an American

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

horror television series based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and

Charlie Adlard Charles Adlard is a British comic book artist known for his work on books such as '' The Walking Dead'' and ''Savage''. Career Adlard began his work in the UK on ''White Death'' with Robbie Morrison and '' 2000 AD'' series including ''Judge Dre ...

—together forming the core of ''The Walking Dead'' franchise. The series features a large

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

as survivors of a

zombie apocalypse Zombie apocalypse is a genre of fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Typically only a few individuals or small bands of survivors are left living. In some versions, the reason the dead rise and attack hum ...

trying to stay alive under near-constant threat of attacks from zombies known as "walkers" (among other nicknames). With the collapse of modern civilization, these survivors must confront other human survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own sets of laws and morals, sometimes leading to open, hostile conflict between them. Andrew Lincoln played the lead character

Rick Grimes Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Creat ...

until his departure in the ninth season. Other long-standing cast members have included

Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1969) is an American actor best known for starring as Daryl Dixon in the AMC (TV channel), AMC horror drama series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). He also starred as Murphy Mac ...

, Steven Yeun,

Chandler Riggs Chandler Carlton Riggs (born June 27, 1999) is an American actor and DJ, best known for his regular role as Carl Grimes on the AMC horror-drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (based on the comic book series of the same name) from 201 ...

Melissa McBride Melissa Suzanne McBride (born May 23, 1965) is an American actress. Her breakout role was Carol Peletier on the AMC series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). She has garnered critical acclaim and received multiple awards and nominations for ...

Lauren Cohan Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles incl ...

Danai Gurira Danai Jekesai Gurira (; born February 14, 1978) is an American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright. She is best known for her starring roles as Michonne on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–2020, 2022) and as Okoye in the ...

Josh McDermitt Josh McDermitt (born June 4, 1978) is an American film and television actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Eugene Porter on AMC's '' The Walking Dead''. In 2006, McDermitt appeared on ''Last Comic Standing'' as a contestant. McDermit ...

Christian Serratos Christian Marie Serratos MovieTome ( born Bernardi, ; born September 21, 1990) is an American actress who played Rosita Espinosa in AMC's '' The Walking Dead'' TV series, based on the comic book of the same name. She is also known for playing Su ...

, Seth Gilliam,

Ross Marquand Roscoe Wayne Marquand (born August 22, 1981) is an American actor. He has played Aaron on the television series '' The Walking Dead'' since 2015, Red Skull and Ultron in various projects connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has voice ...

and

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. He ...

. ''The Walking Dead'' is produced by

AMC Studios AMC Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York. AMC Networks owns and operates the eponymous cable channel and its siblings, IFC, We TV, and Sundance TV; the art house movie theater IFC Cente ...

in the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, with most filming taking place in the outdoor spaces of Riverwood Studios near

Senoia, Georgia Senoia (, ) is a city located 35 minutes south of Atlanta in Coweta County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its population was 5,016 at the 2020 census. History The first permanent settlement in the area wa ...

. The series was initially adapted from the comic by

Frank Darabont Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a sc ...

, who also served as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

for the first season. However, conflicts between Darabont and AMC forced his departure from the series and resulted in multiple lawsuits by Darabont and others.

Glen Mazzara Glen Mazzara (born July 6, 1967) is an American television producer and writer. He is most well known for his work on ''The Shield'', '' The Walking Dead'' and '' Damien''. Life and career An Italian-American, Mazzara was born in Manhattan, N ...

, Scott M. Gimple, and

Angela Kang Angela Kang (born March 23, 1976) is an American television writer known for serving as showrunner on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' for the final three seasons. Early life Kang was born and raised in Irvine, California, the ...

served as subsequent showrunners. The series premiered on October 31, 2010, and is exclusively broadcast on cable channel

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

in the United States and internationally through the

Fox Networks Group Fox Networks Group (FNG) is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that oversees international television assets that were acquired from 21st Century Fox. It produces and distributes more than 300 entertainment, film, sports and factual chan ...

and

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

. The eleventh and final season premiered on August 22, 2021 and concluded on November 20, 2022. Beginning with its third season, ''The Walking Dead'' has attracted the most 18- to 49-year-old viewers of any cable or broadcast television series, though viewership has declined in later seasons. In addition, the series has been overall positively received by critics. It has been nominated for several awards, including the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Television Series – Drama and the Writers Guild of America Award for New Series. AMC has also expanded the series into related media, including the spin-off series '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2015–present), '' The Walking Dead: World Beyond'' (2020–2021), and '' Tales of the Walking Dead'' (2022) as well as several

webisodes A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...

and video games. Three further spinoffs have been announced: '' The Walking Dead: Dead City'' featuring Maggie and

Negan Negan, later revealed as Negan Smith in the television series, is a fictional character in the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and in the television series of the same name. He was the leader of the Saviors, a group of survivors in the S ...

, ''The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon'' featuring the

titular character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

and an untitled series featuring

Rick Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

and

Michonne Michonne ( ), later revealed as Michonne Hawthorne, is a fictional character from '' The Walking Dead''. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portra ...

Series overview

''The Walking Dead'' takes place after the onset of a worldwide

. The zombies, referred to as "walkers", shamble towards living humans and other creatures to eat them; they are attracted to noise, such as gunshots, and to different scents, e.g. humans. Although it initially seems that only humans that are bitten or scratched by walkers can turn into other walkers, it is revealed early in the series that all living humans carry the pathogen responsible for the mutation. The mutation is activated after the death of the pathogen's host, and the only way to permanently kill a walker is to damage its brain or destroy the body entirely, such as by cremating it. The series centers on sheriff's deputy

, who wakes up from a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

. While in a coma, the world has been taken over by walkers. He becomes the leader of a group of survivors from the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, region as they attempt to sustain and protect themselves not only against attacks by walkers but by other groups of survivors willing to use any means necessary to stay alive.

Season 1 (2010)

When sheriff's deputy

of King County, Georgia, wakes from a coma, he discovers the world has been overrun by

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

s ("walkers"). After befriending Morgan Jones, Rick travels alone to

before finding his wife Lori, son

Carl Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...

, and his police partner and best friend Shane Walsh in the woods with other survivors. After being attacked by walkers at night, the whole group travels back to Atlanta to the

Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(CDC) building, but find from the sole remaining scientist that no cure yet exists for the pandemic.

Season 2 (2011–12)

Rick's group, searching for Carol's missing daughter, Sophia, takes shelter at a farm run by

Hershel Greene Hershel Greene is a fictional character in '' The Walking Dead'' whose role is depicted in the comic book, television series as portrayed by Scott Wilson and the game series. He is the widowed owner of a farm in Georgia and has previous experie ...

. Tensions with Hershel's family worsen after it is discovered that he has a barn full of walkers: former friends and family members. Rick learns that Shane and Lori were romantically involved while he was in a coma, and that Lori is pregnant. Shane and Rick's friendship deteriorates, until Rick is forced to kill Shane in self-defense. The commotion attracts walkers to the farm, forcing Rick's group and Hershel's family to evacuate.

Season 3 (2012–13)

Eight months after fleeing the farm, Rick's group—sans Andrea, but with Hershel's family—finds a remote prison, which they make their new home after clearing it of walkers. Lori is killed from an emergency C section, and Rick starts to become unhinged and hallucinate.

Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...

was rescued by

and the two discover Woodbury, a fortified town led by a deceitful man known as " the Governor" who seeks to destroy the group at the prison. Rick's group launches a raid that destroys Woodbury, but the Governor kills Andrea and escapes. The remaining citizens of Woodbury move into the prison.

Season 4 (2013–14)

Several months after the Governor's attack, a deadly

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

kills many of the people at the prison. The Governor finds Martinez, his former right-hand man and kills him, taking over his group before leading them into the prison. Rick's group is forced to separate and flee, while Hershel and the Governor are killed. The survivors, divided, face off against the undead and make new acquaintances. They all find numerous signs pointing to a safe haven called Terminus. Group by group, they reunite at Terminus, but Rick's group, sans Carol, is captured for an unknown purpose.

Season 5 (2014–15)

The residents of Terminus have become

cannibals Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

. Carol leads a charge that frees Rick's group. Some of the group are captured by a group of corrupt cops based out of Grady Memorial Hospital. After the group migrates to Virginia, a stranger named

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

approaches, inviting them to join the fortified community of Alexandria, led by Deanna Monroe. They quickly realize the residents are ill-prepared to do what it takes to survive. Rick becomes attracted to Jessie Anderson and discovers she has an abusive husband. Deanna signals Rick to execute the man after he kills her husband as Morgan arrives unexpectedly.

Season 6 (2015–16)

The residents of Alexandria trust Rick's group to protect the town. A group known as the Wolves use a zombie horde to attack Alexandria, and Deanna and the entire Anderson family (among others) are killed. While recovering, Alexandria learns of a community called the Hilltop. A man called Jesus invites them to trade supplies with Hilltop if they can help end the threat of the extortionist Saviors led by a man named

. Although Rick's group decimate one Savior outpost, they are later caught by Negan and forced to submit to him.

Season 7 (2016–17)

Negan brutally murders Glenn and

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

, initiating his rule over Alexandria. His actions initially lead Rick to submit, but Michonne persuades him to fight back. They encounter a community called the Scavengers and ask them for help. Carol and Morgan befriend

King Ezekiel King Ezekiel, later revealed as Ezekiel Sutton in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Khary Payton. Ezekiel is t ...

, the leader of the Kingdom, while Maggie and Sasha rally the Hilltop. Rosita and Eugene make a bullet to kill Negan. When the bullet is blocked by Lucille, Negan's baseball bat, Negan forcefully recruits Eugene as a Savior. The Saviors and turncoat Scavengers attack Alexandria but are repelled by Sasha's sacrifice and the aid of Kingdom and Hilltop soldiers.

Season 8 (2017–18)

Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel rally their communities into war against Negan and the Saviors. Losses are heavy on both sides and many of the Kingdom's soldiers are killed. Alexandria falls to a Savior attack, and Carl is bitten by a walker. Before euthanizing himself, Carl convinces Rick to end the war and restart society anew. Negan attempts to wipe out Rick and his allies in a final battle, but Eugene thwarts his plan by sabotaging the Saviors' bullets. Rick then wounds Negan. Against Maggie's wishes, Negan is spared and imprisoned, ending the war.

Season 9 (2018–19)

Eighteen months after Negan's downfall, Rick proposes building a bridge to ease trading, but this leads to more resentment. Rick is seemingly killed when he destroys the bridge to prevent an invasion of walkers. Six years later, his absence triggers discourse between the communities, and a new walker-controlling threat named the Whisperers demand the survivors do not trespass in their territory. Their leader,

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...

, has acquired a large horde of walkers that she will unleash if they do so. After her daughter

Lydia Lydia (Lydian language, Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the mod ...

abandons her mother's group for the Kingdom's, Alpha disowns her and massacres many residents during a fair.

Season 10 (2019–21)

Alpha begins breaking down the communities with seemingly random walker attacks and acts of sabotage. Under Carol's orders, Negan infiltrates the Whisperers and assassinates Alpha. Her right-hand man Beta takes command of the Whisperers, but he and the horde are defeated by the survivors. Eugene leads a group to West Virginia to meet a new group of survivors. Meanwhile, Michonne travels north to search for Rick after finding evidence he survived his apparent death.

Season 11 (2021–22)

Eugene's group convinces the Commonwealth, a large, prosperous community with a strict class system, to lend aid and refuge to the Coalition. However, autocratic governor Pamela Milton becomes hostile towards the Coalition after her corruption is exposed and her son Sebastian is killed. The Coalition leads a revolution against Pamela when she tries to sacrifice the lower classes to a horde containing more intelligent walker variants; in the aftermath, Rosita dies of a bite, Negan is accepted by Maggie as an ally, and Ezekiel takes over as governor. After the Coalition is rebuilt, Daryl leaves to find Rick and Michonne.

Cast and characters

The list below contains those that have been credited within the series' title sequence and those who are credited as "also starring". Recurring and guest stars are listed on the individual season pages. * Andrew Lincoln as

: The series'

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

and a former

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

's deputy, Rick is the leader of a group of survivors who becomes the leader of the Alexandria Safe-Zone. (seasons 1–9; special guest star season 11) *

Jon Bernthal Jonathan Edward Bernthal (; born September 20, 1976) is an American actor. Beginning his career in the early 2000s, he came to prominence for portraying Shane Walsh on the AMC horror series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2012; 2018), where ...

as Shane Walsh: Rick's former police partner and best friend. In the second season, he forms an intense rivalry with Rick. (seasons 1–2; special guest star seasons 3, 9) *

Sarah Wayne Callies Sarah Wayne Callies (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Sara Tancredi in Fox's '' Prison Break'' and as Lori Grimes in AMC's '' The Walking Dead''. She has also starred as Katie Bowman in USA Network's ''Colo ...

Lori Grimes Lori Grimes is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Sarah Wayne Callies in the American television series of the same name. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the chara ...

: Rick's wife, who has an affair with Shane when she believed Rick was dead. (seasons 1–3) *

Laurie Holden Heather Laurie Holden (born December 17, 1969) is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and human rights activist, known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in ''The X-Files'' (1996–2002), Adele Stanton in '' The Majestic'' (2001), Cybil Benn ...

: A former

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

attorney and member of the original Atlanta group of survivors. (seasons 1–3) *

Jeffrey DeMunn Jeffrey DeMunn (born April 25, 1947) is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing Captain Esteridge in '' The Hitcher'' (1986), Sheriff Herb Geller in ''The Blob'' (1988), Andrei Chikatilo in '' Citizen X'' (1995), Harry Terwi ...

Dale Horvath Dale, later revealed as Dale Horvath in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Jeffrey DeMunn in the American television series of the same name. The character's dea ...

: An older member of the group who owned the RV in which a group of survivors traveled. Often the voice of reason within the group. (seasons 1–2) * Steven Yeun as

Glenn Rhee Glenn, later revealed as Glenn Rhee in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'', in which he is known simply as Glenn. He was portrayed by Steven Yeun in the television series of the same ...

: A former

pizza delivery Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria or pizza chain Delivery (commerce), delivers a pizza to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone, or over the internet, in which the customer can request pizza type and size, a ...

boy who saved Rick's life. Glenn begins a relationship with Maggie Greene and later marries her. Over the course of the series, Glenn becomes an integral member of the group known for his character and resourcefulness. (seasons 1–7) *

Carl Grimes Carl Grimes is a fictional character and is one of the main protagonists in the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Chandler Riggs in the American television series of the same name. The character was created by writer ...

: Rick and Lori's young son. Carl is forced to mature and learn to survive in the deadly new post-apocalyptic world. (seasons 1–8) *

Daryl Dixon Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series '' The Walking Dead''. The character was created for the television series by writers Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee and Jack LoGiudice specifically for Norman Reedus, and ...

: The group's primary hunter, Daryl becomes a key member of the group and Rick's trusted lieutenant. (seasons 2–11; recurring season 1) *

as Carol Peletier: Originally a meek

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...

, Carol overcomes domestic abuse to become a skilled, resourceful fighter capable of making difficult decisions. (seasons 2–11; recurring season 1) *

Maggie Greene Maggie Greene, later Maggie Rhee in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'', portrayed by Lauren Cohan in the television adaptation of the same name. In the comic book series, Maggie beco ...

: The eldest daughter of the Greene family, Maggie marries Glenn, becomes pregnant with their child and becomes the leader of the Hilltop Colony. (seasons 3–11; recurring season 2) *

: A fierce,

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

-wielding woman who joins Rick's group. Michonne eventually becomes Rick's romantic partner and a mother-figure to his son, Carl. She is also the mother-figure to Judith, daughter of Lori and Shane. (seasons 3–10; special guest star season 11) * Scott Wilson as

: A

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

and

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

who maintains his faith and acts as the group's primary moral compass. Hershel is the father of Maggie and Beth Greene. (seasons 3–4; special guest star season 9; recurring season 2) *

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Henry in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), Chick Gandil in ''Eight Men Out'' (1988), Frank Baily in '' Mississippi Burning'' (1988), Terry Cruger in '' ...

Merle Dixon Merle Dixon is a fictional character from the horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'', which airs on AMC in the United States. He was created by series developer Frank Darabont and was portrayed by Michael Rooker. The character was ...

: The racist and volatile older brother of Daryl Dixon. In the third season, he is the right-hand man to the Governor. (season 3; guest seasons 1–2) *

David Morrissey David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. Described by the British Film Institute as "one of the most versatile English actors of his generation", he is noted for the meticulous preparation and research h ...

as Philip "The Governor" Blake: The antagonistic leader of the town of Woodbury, the Governor is ruthless, paranoid, and dangerous. (seasons 3–4; special guest star season 5) *

Emily Kinney Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2015, 2018). Kinney has also appeared on several other televisi ...

Beth Greene Beth Greene is a fictional character from the American horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'', created by season two showrunner Glen Mazzara, and was portrayed by Emily Kinney. She is the daughter of veterinarian and farmer Hershe ...

: A soft-spoken teenage girl who enjoys singing, Beth is Hershel's younger daughter and Maggie's younger half-sister. (seasons 4–5; recurring seasons 2–3) *

Chad L. Coleman Chad L. Coleman (born September 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series ''The Wire'' (2004–08), Tyreese on the AMC (TV channel), AMC series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Wa ...

as Tyreese Williams: Tough and compassionate, Tyreese places an emphasis on moral reasoning. He struggles to cope with the immoral nature of some of the group's survival tactics and finds it difficult to kill in defense of the group. (seasons 4–5; recurring season 3) *

Sonequa Martin-Green Sonequa Chaunté Martin-Green (; Martin; born March 21, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her television roles as Michael Burnham, the main character in the streaming television series '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and as Sasha W ...

as Sasha Williams: Tyreese's fiery younger sister and a former

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

, Sasha is the group's

sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with "marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" i ...

. After several personal losses, she suffers from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

. (seasons 4–7; special guest star season 9; recurring season 3) * Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as

Bob Stookey Bob Stookey is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Lawrence Gilliard Jr. Created by Robert Kirkman and artists Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rath ...

: A former army medic and recovering

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

who develops a close relationship with Sasha. (seasons 4–5) *

Michael Cudlitz Michael Cudlitz (born December 29, 1964) is an American actor known for portraying John Cooper in the NBC/ TNT drama series '' Southland'' for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 ...

Abraham Ford Sgt. Abraham Ford is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Michael Cudlitz in the American television series of the same name. In both mediums Abraham traveled the country with his girlfrien ...

: A former

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

on a mission to bring Eugene to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to find a cure for the walker virus. (seasons 5–7; recurring season 4) *

Eugene Porter Eugene Porter, later revealed as Eugene Hermann Porter in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead'' and is portrayed by Josh McDermitt beginning in the fourth s ...

: A man who claims to know a cure for the walker virus, Eugene is cowardly and inefficient when dealing with walkers, but is very intelligent. (seasons 5–11; recurring season 4) *

Rosita Espinosa Rosita Espinosa is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and is portrayed by Christian Serratos in the American television series of the same name. She accompanies Eugene Porter and Abraham Ford on a mission to Wa ...

: A tough, focused, and very capable survivor, and also Abraham's girlfriend. (seasons 5–11; recurring season 4) *

Alanna Masterson Alanna Masterson (born June 27, 1988) is an American actress, known for her role as Tara Chambler in the AMC television series '' The Walking Dead''. Early life Masterson was born in New York City, to Carol Masterson and Joe Reaiche, a Leba ...

Tara Chambler Tara Chambler is a fictional character from the horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'', which airs on AMC in the United States and is based on the comic book series of the same name''.'' The character is based on Tara Chalmers from ...

: A former

police academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or othe ...

student, Tara joins Rick's group after having initially been affiliated with the Governor. She serves as a primary supply runner. (seasons 5–9; recurring season 4) *

Andrew J. West Andrew James West (born November 22, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Fisher in the ABC Family comedy drama ''Greek'', and as Gareth in the AMC horror drama '' The Walking Dead''. He appeared as a guest star in t ...

as Gareth: The

cannibalistic Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

leader of Terminus who captures and coerces Rick's group into submission before being executed by Rick. (season 5; guest season 4) * Seth Gilliam as

Gabriel Stokes Sir Gabriel Stokes (7 July 184922 October 1920) was an Irish civil servant and colonial administrator of the Indian Civil Service. He acted as the Governor of Madras between February–March 1906. Family Gabriel Stokes was born on 7July 1 ...

: A

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

who joins Rick's group. He lacks experience with walkers and struggles with his faith in the new world. (seasons 5–11) *

Lennie James Lennie Michael James (born 11 October 1965) is a British actor, screenwriter, and playwright. His work includes playing Morgan Jones in the television series, '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, '' Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring ...

as Morgan Jones: The first survivor Rick encounters in the first season. After suffering a psychological breakdown, he comes to peace with the world around him. (seasons 6–8; recurring season 5; special guest star season 3; guest season 1) *

Alexandra Breckenridge Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films '' Big Fat Liar'' (2002) and '' She's the Man'' (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series ...

as Jessie Anderson: An Alexandria resident who develops a relationship with Rick. (season 6; recurring season 5) *

: A recruiter who invites Rick's group to Alexandria. (seasons 6–11; recurring season 5) *

Austin Nichols Austin Nichols (born April 24, 1980) is an American actor and director, known for his role as Julian Baker in The CW drama series ''One Tree Hill''. He is also known for his roles in the films ''The Day After Tomorrow'' and '' Wimbledon''. He st ...

Spencer Monroe Spencer Monroe is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Austin Nichols. He is the son of the Alexandria Safe Zone leader, Douglas Monroe and ...

: Deanna's son and a guard of Alexandria. (seasons 6–7; recurring season 5) *

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations f ...

as Deanna Monroe: A former

Congresswoman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

and original leader of Alexandria. (season 6; recurring season 5) *

: The totalitarian, sociopathic leader of the Saviors. (seasons 7–11; special guest star season 6) * Austin Amelio as Dwight: A ruthless and reluctant member of the Saviors who forms an intense rivalry with Daryl. (seasons 7–8; recurring season 6) * Tom Payne as Paul "Jesus" Rovia: A scout and member of the Hilltop Colony. (seasons 7–9; recurring season 6) *

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His film roles include '' Terminator 2: Judgment Da ...

as Gregory: The selfish and treacherous leader of the Hilltop Colony. (seasons 7–9; guest season 6) *

Khary Payton Khary Payton (born May 16, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as King Ezekiel on the horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' and Dr. Terrell Jackson on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', as well as voicing Cyborg across va ...

as Ezekiel: The "king" of a community known as the Kingdom, Ezekiel is a former zookeeper with a pet

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

called Shiva. (seasons 8–11; recurring season 7) *

Steven Ogg Steven Ogg is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Trevor Philips in the 2013 video game ''Grand Theft Auto V'' and Simon in '' The Walking Dead'', and has also appeared on ''Better Call Saul'', ''Westworld'', ''The Tick'', and ''Snow ...

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

: A high-ranking member of the Saviors serving as Negan's right-hand man. (season 8; recurring season 7; guest season 6) *

Katelyn Nacon Katelyn Nacon is an American actress. She played Elisia Brown in the go90 web series '' Tagged'' (2016–2018) and Enid on '' The Walking Dead'' (2015–2019). Personal life Nacon attended Woodstock High School, in Woodstock, Georgia. Career ...

as Enid: An isolated teenager in Alexandria who forms a close bond with Carl. (seasons 8–9; recurring seasons 6–7; guest season 5) *

Pollyanna McIntosh Pollyanna McIntosh (born 15 March 1979) is a Scottish-American actress and director known for her roles in films ''Exam'' (2009), '' The Woman'' (2011), ''Let Us Prey'' (2014), the first season of Joe R. Lansdale's '' Hap and Leonard'' (2016), ...

as Anne "Jadis": The impassive, enigmatic leader of the Scavengers. (seasons 8–9; recurring season 7) *

Callan McAuliffe Callan Ryan Claude McAuliffe (born 24 January 1995) is an Australian actor, known for his roles as Bryce Loski in '' Flipped'' and Sam Goode in '' I Am Number Four''. He appeared as young Jay Gatsby in the 2013 film ''The Great Gatsby''. From 2 ...

Alden Alden may refer to: Places United States * Alden, California, a former settlement * Alden, Colorado * Alden, Illinois *Alden, Iowa * Alden, Kansas * Alden, Michigan *Alden, Minnesota * Alden, Oklahoma *Alden, Pennsylvania *Alden, New York ** Alde ...

: A former member of the Saviors who later switches his allegiance to the Hilltop. (seasons 9–11; recurring season 8) *

Avi Nash Avi Nash is an American actor. He played Siddiq in the AMC television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2017–2020). Early life Nash was born in the United States, his father is Indo-Guyanese and his mother is from Mumbai. Nash started acting ...

Siddiq Siddiq ( ar, صِدّیق, ; meaning "truthful") is an Islamic term and is given as an honorific title to certain individuals. The feminine gender for Siddiq is Siddiqah. The word is sometimes used as a title given to individuals by the Islamic pr ...

: A former vagabond and doctor who is rescued by Carl and brought to Alexandria. (seasons 9–10; recurring season 8) *

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress and director. Known for her work in independent cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two ...

: The leader of the Whisperers, a mysterious group of survivors who wear the skins of walkers to mask their presence. (seasons 9–10) *

Ryan Hurst Ryan Douglas Hurst (born June 19, 1976) is an American actor, known for his roles as Gerry Bertier in ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), Sgt. Ernie Savage in ''We Were Soldiers'' (2002), Tom Clarke in '' Taken'' (2002), Opie Winston in the FX dram ...

Beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...

: The second-in-command of the Whisperers and Alpha's right-hand man. (season 10; recurring season 9) *

Eleanor Matsuura Eleanor Matsuura is a British actress best known for her roles as Yumiko in '' The Walking Dead'', Hannah Santo in '' Spooks: The Greater Good'', Bev in ''Utopia'' and as PC Donna Prager in ''Cuffs''. Early life Matsuura was born in Tokyo and r ...

Yumiko Yumiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yumiko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *弓子, "bow, child". *由美子, "reason/cause, beauty, child". *結実子, "fruition, child". *夕実子, "evenin ...

: Magna's girlfriend who is a proficient

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

and former

criminal defense lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various jur ...

. (seasons 10–11; recurring season 9) *

Cooper Andrews Andrew Lawrence Cooper (born March 10, 1985), known professionally as Cooper Andrews, is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jerry in '' The Walking Dead''. Early life Andrews was born in Smithtown, New York on Long Island. His ...

as Jerry: A member of the Kingdom and Ezekiel's steward. (seasons 10–11; recurring seasons 7–9) * Nadia Hilker as Magna: The feisty leader of a small group of roaming survivors and Yumiko's girlfriend. (seasons 10–11; recurring season 9) *

Cailey Fleming Cailey Presley Fleming is an American actress. She is known for her role as Judith Grimes on the AMC horror-drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2018–2022), and as young versions of Rey and Sylvie in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' ...

Judith Grimes Judith Grimes is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the television series of the same name, where she is portrayed by Cailey Fleming and previously by several child actresses when the character was a newbor ...

: The biological daughter of Lori and Shane who was adopted by Rick after she was born. (seasons 10–11; recurring season 9) *

Cassady McClincy Cassady Marie McClincy is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Lydia on the AMC horror-drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' since 2019. Life and career McClincy was born in Ohio and raised in Georgia. She got an agent ...

: Alpha's daughter and former Whisperer. (seasons 10–11; recurring season 9) * Lauren Ridloff as

Connie Connie is a given name. It is often a pet form (hypocorism) of Concetta, Constance, Cornelia, or Cornelius. Given name or nickname Women * Connie Achurra, Chilean chef * Connie Binsfeld (1924–2014), American politician * Connie Booth ...

: A

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

member of Magna's group and Kelly's sister. (seasons 10–11; recurring season 9) *

Paola Lázaro Paola Lázaro (/pao-lah/ born October 24, 1987) is a Puerto Rican actress, writer, and playwright. She is best known for portraying Juanita "Princess" Sanchez on the Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, apocalyptic Drama (film and televisio ...

as Juanita "Princess" Sanchez: A quirky and flamboyant survivor who has suffered various traumas in her past and later joins Eugene's group. (season 11; recurring 10) *

Michael James Shaw Michael James Shaw (born September 16, 1986) is an American actor and writer from New York City. He is best known for his recurring role as FBI Agent Daryl/"Mike" in the TV series '' Limitless''. Shaw has also had a recurring role in ''Constantin ...

as Michael Mercer: A resident of the Commonwealth who serves as the general of the Commonwealth military. (season 11) *

Lynn Collins Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16, 1977) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in ''True Blood'' (2008), '' Manhunt: Unabomber'' (2017) and '' The Walking Dead'' (2021–2022), and is recognized for her roles in films such a ...

as Leah Shaw: A member of the Reapers and former owner of Dog who formed a loving connection with Daryl while searching for Rick after his disappearance. (season 11; guest season 10) *

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

as Lance Hornsby: The deputy governor and director of operations to the Commonwealth. (season 11) *

Margot Bingham Margot Bingham is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as jazz singer Daughter Maitland in the HBO period drama series, ''Boardwalk Empire''. In 2015, Bingham began starring as one of lead characters in the A ...

as Maxxine "Stephanie" Mercer: A resident of the Commonwealth who communicated with Eugene over the radio. She is also Mercer's younger sister. (season 11; guest season 10) *

Laila Robins Laila Robins is an American stage, film and television actress. She has appeared in films including ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), '' An Innocent Man'' (1989), ''Live Nude Girls'' (1995), ''True Crime'' (1999), ''She's Lost Control'' ...

as Pamela Milton: The governor of the Commonwealth. (season 11) * Angel Theory as Kelly: Connie's alert and protective sister who has a gradual hearing loss. (season 11; recurring seasons 9–10)

Darabont connections

The series features several actors whom series developer

has worked with previously, including

(

( Carol Peletier),

Juan Pareja Juan Gabriel Pareja (born December 24, 1978) is an American actor. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, to parents who immigrated from Colombia, Pareja is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Pareja's film credits ha ...

(

Morales Morales is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfredo Morales (born 1990), American footballer * Alvaro Morales (disambiguation), several people * Amado Morales (born 1947), Puerto Rican javelin thrower * Bartolomé Mo ...

) and

Sam Witwer Sam Witwer (born October 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in ''Battlestar Galactica'', Davis Bloome in ''Smallville'', Aidan Waite in '' Being Human'', Mr. Hyde in '' Once Upon a Time'', Ben Lockwood in '' ...

(the dead soldier in the tank where

hides in " Days Gone Bye"). All five appeared in his 2007 film '' The Mist'', along with

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Deep Blue Sea (1999 film), Deep Blue Sea'' (1999), ''The Punisher ...

, who originally was set to star in the series as Rick Grimes when it was pitched to

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. Jane was later in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series as of fall 2010; however, with Darabont's departure, it is unknown whether the guest spot will happen or not. Holden also appeared in the 2001 film '' The Majestic'', which Darabont also directed. DeMunn has appeared in several of Darabont's films; in addition to ''The Mist'' and ''The Majestic'', he appeared in ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), w ...

'' (1994) and '' The Green Mile'' (1999). It was planned that Witwer (Private Jessup in Darabont's ''The Mist'') would reprise his "Days Gone Bye" role in the original conception of the series' second season premiere and in a

webisode A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...

, but both plans were discarded.

Production

Development

On January 20, 2010,

officially announced that it had ordered a pilot for a possible series adapted from ''The Walking Dead'' comic book series, with Frank Darabont and

Gale Anne Hurd Gale Anne Hurd (born October 25, 1955) is an American film and television producer, the founder of Valhalla Entertainment (formerly Pacific Western Productions), and a former recording secretary for the Producers Guild of America. Early life Hu ...

acting as executive producers and Darabont writing and directing. The entire series was pre-ordered based just on the strength of the source material, the television scripts, and Darabont's involvement. In January 2010 a review of the pilot episode's script attracted further attention. The pilot began filming in Atlanta, Georgia on May 15, 2010 after AMC had officially ordered a six-episode first season. The series's remaining episodes began filming on June 2, 2010 with Darabont serving as

. On August 31, 2010, Darabont reported that ''The Walking Dead'' had been picked up for a second season, with production to begin in February 2011. On November 8, 2010, AMC confirmed that there would be a second season consisting of 13 episodes. He would also like to include some of the "environmental elements" that take place during Volume 2 of Kirkman's book.

Crew

The first season writing staff consisted of series developer and executive producer Frank Darabont (who wrote/co-wrote four of the six episodes), executive producer

Charles H. Eglee Charles Hamilton Eglee (born November 27, 1951) is an American film and television screenwriter and producer. He worked extensively for Steven Bochco productions throughout the 1990s. For Bochco productions he co-created '' Byrds of Paradise'' ...

, executive producer and creator of the comic book Robert Kirkman, co-executive producer

Jack LoGiudice Jack LoGiudice is an American television writer and television producer, producer, best known for his work on the FX (TV channel), FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' and most recently worked as a co-executive producer and writer on AMC (TV channel), ...

, consulting producer

Adam Fierro Adam Fierro is an American television writer and producer. Biography Fierro began his television career as a freelance writer. He wrote two scripts for the first season of ''Resurrection Blvd.'' in 2000. In 2002 he returned as a co-producer and w ...

and

, all of whom contributed to one episode each. Along with Darabont, who directed the pilot episode, the remaining five were directed by

Michelle MacLaren Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is a Canadian television director and producer. She has directed episodes of ''The X-Files'', ''Better Call Saul'', '' Breaking Bad'', '' The Walking Dead'', '' Game of Thrones'', and ''Westworld''. MacLaren won two bac ...

Gwyneth Horder-Payton Gwyneth Horder-Payton is an American television director. Beginning in the late 1980s she worked as an assistant director on a number of films such as ''Pacific Heights'', ''The Doors'', ''Raising Cain'', '' I Love Trouble'', '' Homeward Bound ...

Johan Renck Bo Johan Renck (born 5 December 1966) is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He was originally a singer-songwriter from 1991 to 2001, using the moniker Stakka Bo, and had an international hit with his single " Here We Go" in 1993. Re ...

Ernest Dickerson Ernest Roscoe Dickerson (born June 25, 1951) is an American director, cinematographer, and screenwriter of film, television, and music videos. As a cinematographer, he is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee ever since they were c ...

, and

Guy Ferland Guy Ferland (born February 18, 1966) is an American film and television director. Career After Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film '' Notorious'' inspired him to become a filmmaker, Ferland went on to study cinema production at the University of Sout ...

, respectively. On December 1, 2010, ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

'' reported that Darabont had fired his writing staff, including executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee, and planned to use freelance writers for the second season. Kirkman called the announcement "premature" and clarified that Eglee left to pursue other projects when Darabont decided to stay on as showrunner, and no definitive plans had been made regarding the writing staff for the second season. On December 3, 2010, in an interview with ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', executive producer Gale Anne Hurd commented: "It's completely inaccurate. nthe writers' room, there are people that have set up other projects that will be their first priority if their own series is picked up as a pilot or if it's a series. I think

glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

just decided that he wants to run his own show." She revealed that it would be likely for the series to return in October 2011, as Darabont and Kirkman planned on mapping out the next season early in 2011. She also confirmed that, "every one of the principal cast is signed up for multiple seasons." In July 2011, series developer and showrunner Frank Darabont was fired from his position as showrunner for the series, over unethical business practices from AMC higher-ups (see

Lawsuits - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil acti ...

below). Executive producer Glen Mazzara was appointed the new showrunner in Darabont's place. New writers joined the writing staff in the second season, including co-executive producer

Evan Reilly Evan Reilly, sometimes credited as Evan T. Reilly, is an American television writer, producer and director who is best known as a long-time writer and producer on the FX series '' Rescue Me'', which he worked on beginning with its second season a ...

, producer Scott M. Gimple, story editor

, and

David Leslie Johnson David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ( né Johnson) is an American screenwriter and producer of film and television. Early life Johnson began writing plays in the second grade and wrote his first screenplay at age nineteen after graduating from Le ...

. New writers in the third season included producers Nichole Beattie and Sang Kyu Kim, with

Frank Renzulli Frank Renzulli (born February 21, 1958) is an American film actor, writer, and producer. As an Emmy nominated writer and Golden Globe winner, Renzulli has written teleplays for ''The Sopranos'', mainly in the first two seasons, and another Emmy ...

contributing a freelance script. After the conclusion of the third season, Glen Mazzara stepped down from his position as showrunner and executive producer for the series, per a mutual agreement between Mazzara and AMC. The press release read, "Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways." Scott M. Gimple succeeded Mazzara as showrunner for the fourth season, with new writers joining the writing staff, such as Curtis Gwinn, Channing Powell, and Matt Negrete. In January 2018, it was announced that Gimple would be promoted to the newly created position of Chief Content Officer of the entire ''Walking Dead'' franchise, and that Angela Kang would replace him as showrunner beginning with the ninth season.

Writing

The television series generally tends to follow Kirkman's comic series across major characters and plots; for instance, events of the premiere episode of the seventh season correlate to events in issue #100 of the comics. The series does not attempt to go step-by-step with the comics, and has leeway in the narrative. In particular, the series's writers, along with Kirkman, often "transfer" how a character has died in the comics to a different character in the series. For example, in the fourth season, where

is beheaded by the Governor in the standoff with Rick's group at the prison; in the comic,

Tyreese Tyreese, later revealed as Tyreese Williams in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Chad Coleman in the American television series of the same name. He is a promi ...

is the one who suffers this fate. Some of the television characters, like Carol, have far outlived their comic counterparts, while others that have already been killed off, like Sophia and

, remained alive for some time in the ongoing comic series. In addition, the writers have included characters wholly novel to the series such as

, which producer Gale Anne Hurd says helps to create a new dynamic for the series, and keeps the audience guessing from what had already been established in the comic series.

Casting

''The Walking Dead'' has featured a large rotating ensemble cast. In most cases, because of the nature of the show, departure of actors from the show are determined by the writing, with characters either killed off or written off the show as necessary to develop the story. Cast members are generally told ahead of time if they have been written off the show, but otherwise kept to secrecy. For example, Steven Yeun, who played

since the pilot through the season seven premiere, knew of his character's death for a year but had to keep quiet, while

, playing

through the eighth season, was told of his character's departure during the filming in the weeks leading into his final episodes. A few actors have left the show under their own terms due to other commitments or changes, with the writings adopting the plot around these changes: * Andrew Lincoln played the series's protagonist Rick Grimes since the pilot. Lincoln announced his plan to leave the show at the start of the ninth season, finding that having to spend half a year in the United States for filming left him missing out on his family in the United Kingdom. Lincoln completed five episodes in the season to close out Rick's storyline within the series, and was originally planned to be continued in three films. In July 2022, it was announced that Lincoln, along with Gurira, will star in a six-episode miniseries in the place of the three films. *

played

since the second season. As contract negotiations began for the ninth season, Cohan had been given the opportunity to star in ''

Whiskey Cavalier ''Whiskey Cavalier'' is an American action comedy-drama television series, created by David Hemingson, that premiered on February 24, 2019. The full pilot episode debuted after the Oscars and was rebroadcast in the show’s regular time slot thre ...

'', limiting how much time she would be able to give to the show. Cohan appeared as Maggie for the first five episodes of the season. In October 2019, it was confirmed that Cohan would return as a series regular for the eleventh season. *

played

since the third season, and announced that she would be leaving the show after the tenth season, participating in a handful of episodes balanced against her other acting commitments. * Both

(as Morgan Jones) and Austin Amelio (as Dwight) were transferred from the main series after season eight to the spinoff series '' Fear the Walking Dead''. James joined the cast of ''Fear the Walking Dead'' in season four and Amelio joined the cast in season five. Casting salaries for the principal actors have grown significantly over the course of the show, up through the seventh season. Overall, the salaries had been lower compared to other similar dramas, including AMC's own ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...

'', but this was justified due to the volatility of any character being potentially written off the show.

and

, playing

and Carol Peletier respectively, had made around per episode during the first season, and by the seventh season, had gotten up to per episode. Lincoln himself was only earning per episode in the seventh season. By season nine, with the departure of Lincoln, Reedus had repeated secured a per episode pay plus additional incentives, potentially earning him over three seasons. McBride similarly had gotten an extended contract in season nine worth over three seasons. Both of these were intended to secure the pair as central figures for the show going forward in Lincoln's absence.

Music

Bear McCreary Bear McCreary (born February 17, 1979) is an American musician and composer of film, television, and video game scores based in Los Angeles, California. His work includes the scores of the television series ''Battlestar Galactica'' (2004), ''Age ...

was hired to compose the score for the series. McCreary stated that the main theme was based on his viewing of production designs for the opening title sequence. Instead of doing a full theme song as with his earlier works, McCreary chose to use a simple, repeating motif from the strings section.

Soundtracks

Four soundtracks for ''The Walking Dead'' have been released to date. '' The Walking Dead: AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol. 1'' was released on March 17, 2013. The second volume was released on March 25, 2014. ''Songs of Survival'' is a soundtrack for the third season and it was released on August 27, 2013, by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

as a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

exclusive for the special edition release of the third season. ''Songs of Survival, Vol. 2'' is a soundtrack for the fourth season and it was released on August 26, 2014, by Republic Records as a Walmart exclusive of the fourth season release.

Makeup

Greg Nicotero Gregory Nicotero (born March 15, 1963) is an American special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director. His first major job in special effects makeup was on the George A. Romero film ''Day of the Dead'' (1985), under the tutel ...

is an executive producer and the key

special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...

makeup artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions incl ...

on the series. Each walker is put through "zombie school" and is taught how to move like a zombie. There are three levels of zombie makeup: Hero, Midground, and Deep Background. Hero zombies are featured walkers and are completely made over from head to toe. Midground zombies get highlights and shadows on the face, but do not get close enough to the camera to require full makeup. Deep background zombies often wear masks and are only meant to be used as a backdrop.

Filming

''The Walking Dead'' is predominantly filmed in Georgia. Since 2002, the state has offered a tax incentive for large film productions to drive producers to the state and bolster its economy. The first season was shot primarily in

, but required a great deal of coordination with the city to shut down streets and parks for filming. Production for subsequent seasons moved mainly to Riverwood Studios (doing business as Raleigh Studios Atlanta), a plot of land covering approximately , located outside of

. Some existing buildings were used here, such as a subdivision that is used by several families, which serves as the Alexandria Safe-Zone. Other buildings are constructed as sets, such as the exterior shots of the main Hilltop mansion, the trash heaps used by the Scavengers, or Father Gabriel's church. Sets are torn down when no longer needed; the church, after its use in the fifth season, was removed and its spot used for the iconic setting for the first meeting between Rick's group and Negan in the seventh season. The property includes sound stages constructed for interior shots, which then may be reused; the interior sets for the prison during the third season were reused to serve as the buildings and sets for the Savior's Sanctuary in the seventh season. In July 2017, AMC purchased the studio lot from Riverwood for $8.25 million. Some scenes are shot outside of the studio. Woodbury, during the third season, was filmed in downtown Senoia. Other exceptions include the Kingdom, which is filmed at the former military base Fort McPherson, now converted to studios for

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...

. The series was shot on

16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

up until the end of the tenth season before it transitioned to digital for the series' final 30 episodes. The change was due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

with there being fewer "touch points" with digital than film.

David Tattersall David Tattersall, (born 14 November 1960) is a British cinematographer. He has worked on many big-budget films and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his cinematography on ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' television series. Three of his ...

was the director of photography for the pilot episode with David Boyd as the director of photography on the remainder of the episodes. Production design is done by Greg Melton and Alex Hajdu. The effects team includes veteran special effects makeup designers

and Toby Sells, special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam Nicholson and Jason Sperling. Greg Nicotero also served as the primary director for the series, directing 35 episodes up until 2021.

Marketing

''The Walking Dead'' debuted during the same week in 120 countries. As part of an expansive campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, AMC and Fox International Channels coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event on October 26, 2010. The stunt involved invading 26 major cities within a 24-hour period, starting with

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

and Hong Kong, and ending in Los Angeles for the U.S. premiere. The series's official website released, just prior to the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

in 2010, a motion comic based on Issue No. 1 of the original comic and voiced by

Phil LaMarr Phillip LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV''. His voice acting roles in animated series include J ...

. The site also posted a making-of documentary primarily about the first episode, as well as a number of other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, comic series creator and television series executive producer Robert Kirkman, as well as artist

, say they are pleased with how faithful the series is to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings. Action figures of characters from the series were created for release in November 2011 and have continued throughout the years with eight line-ups. The figures, which are manufactured by

McFarlane Toys McFarlane Toys is an American company founded by comic book creator Todd McFarlane which makes highly detailed model action figures of characters from films, comics, popular music, video games and various sporting genres. The company, a subsidia ...

, are designed to resemble the actors on the series. Figures created to resemble the characters as drawn in the comic book were released in September 2011. In December 2020, it was announced by AMC that

Chris Hardwick Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...

would host a special for the show featuring the appearances of various cast members, titled ''The Walking Dead Holiday Special'', to promote the show and "reminisce on the franchise series' past". The special was released on December 13, 2020.

Green initiatives

With a primary objective of reducing the environmental impacts of film and television productions, including ''The Walking Dead'', producer Gale Anne Hurd has directed the cast, crew, production team, suppliers, and bloggers about her series to adopt the Doddle app to make the production almost paper-free; this works by digitally transmitting interactive call sheets and other intra-team and team-supplier communications (such as directions, images, menus, and updates) to people's cell phones and Tablet computer, tablets. Hurd said of using Doddle: in addition to conserving paper, "It's also easier, and it's better for security. People are less likely to leave their smartphone or tablet lying around for someone else to pick up." Hurd describes additional steps taken to increase efficiency and cut production costs: "If you use vehicles that get better gas mileage, that are electric or hybrids, you're going to pay a lot less in fuel. If you use compact fluorescent bulbs, you're going to save a lot of money in utilities. If you recycle even your own sets, and use them again, that's going to save money. You don't have to buy new lumber. So there are cost savings, absolutely." Additionally, the production team aims to reduce vehicle idling, which decreases carbon dioxide emissions. Hurd also cuts down on plastic waste by personally using a refillable, stainless steel EcoUsable water bottle and promoting its use among her colleagues. She shared: "on a lot of my projects I give them as crew gifts before we start production, and have water stations available, but you can't force people to use them."

Franchise and spinoffs

Webisodes

To date, four web series based on ''The Walking Dead'' have been released via AMC's website–''The Walking Dead: Torn Apart, Torn Apart'' (2011), ''The Walking Dead: Cold Storage, Cold Storage'' (2012), ''The Walking Dead: The Oath, The Oath'' (2013) and ''The Walking Dead: Red Machete, Red Machete'' (2017).

''Talking Dead''

A live television, live television aftershow titled ''Talking Dead'' premiered on AMC on October 16, 2011, following the encore presentation of ''The Walking Dead'' What Lies Ahead, second-season premiere. ''Talking Dead'' features host

discussing the latest episode with fans, actors, and producers of ''The Walking Dead''.

Television series

''Fear the Walking Dead''

''Fear the Walking Dead'' is a companion series to ''The Walking Dead'', developed by AMC. AMC started development of the series around September 2013 and committed to a two-season broadcast by March 2015. ''Fear the Walking Dead'' was first broadcast on August 23, 2015. ''Fear the Walking Dead'' features a different set of characters, developed by Kirkman. The series starts at the onset of the

, and follows several people that escape Los Angeles as the military attempts to quarantine the city, and seek refuge along the west coast of the United States and Mexico. The fourth season of ''Fear the Walking Dead'' features a crossover with ''The Walking Dead'', specifically through the character Morgan Jones (played by

) who joins the cast of ''Fear the Walking Dead'' after the events of the eighth season of ''The Walking Dead''. Similarly, Dwight, played by Austin Amelio, joined ''Fear the Walking Dead'' for its fifth season in 2019.

''The Walking Dead: World Beyond''

In April 2019, AMC officially announced it had ordered a 10-episode limited series created by Scott M. Gimple and Matthew Negrete. The series focuses on the first generation of children that have grown up during the zombie apocalypse who call themselves "Endlings", and are aware of how to survive if confronted by them, but have otherwise been raised behind walls and have never actually experienced survival. Production began in July 2019 in Richmond, Virginia, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts originally attached to direct the pilot before Magnus Martens took over on account of a new series direction as more season episodes were developed. The series stars Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston, Nico Tortorella and Julia Ormond. The series premiered on October 4, 2020, and ended on December 5, 2021 after two seasons.

''Tales of the Walking Dead''

In October 2021, AMC officially greenlit a six-episode first season to debut on August 14, 2022. Channing Powell, who has written for both ''The Walking Dead'' and ''Fear the Walking Dead'', will serve as showrunner. It is an episodic anthology series that features new and existing characters within ''The Walking Dead'' universe.

''The Walking Dead: Dead City''

In March 2022, AMC officially greenlit ''Isle of the Dead'', starring Morgan and Cohan as their characters Negan and Maggie respectively. They are also executive producing with Eli Jorné, who is serving as showrunner. The series will be set in Manhattan. In August 2022, the series was retitled as ''The Walking Dead: Dead City''. The six-episode series is set to premiere in April 2023.

''Daryl Dixon''

A spinoff series created by

and Scott M. Gimple to star Reedus and McBride as their characters Daryl and Carol, respectively, was also announced in September 2020, with plans to air in 2023 after the conclusion of the eleventh season of the main show. In April 2022, the project was retooled to be entirely Daryl-focused, and McBride departed the project. The series is set and to be filmed in Europe in mid-2022, which would make it logistically untenable for McBride. David Zabel serves as showrunner, who replaces Kang. In October 2022, the series' title was revealed to be ''Daryl Dixon''.

Rick and Michonne spinoff

Following the departure of Andrew Lincoln as

during the ninth season, chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, Scott Gimple stated that they plan to create three AMC Original Films to explore events related to Rick's character in the future, starring Lincoln, and with the first expected to begin production in 2019. Besides Lincoln,

(

) and

(Jadis / Anne) were also slated to star in these films. Gimple stated that these would not simply be extended episodes, nor attempt to adapt any of the comic stories, but would heavily involve Kirkman in their development. The films were slated to release in theaters by Universal Pictures. However at the 2022

, it was announced that the films are now being reworked into a six-episode miniseries starring Lincoln and Gurira. The series will conclude Rick and Michonne's storyline following the main series' conclusion. The six-episode series will premiere in 2023. The series takes place after the events of the fifth episode of the ninth season, "What Comes After (The Walking Dead), What Comes After" and the thirteenth episode of the tenth season "What We Become (The Walking Dead), What We Become", and presents an "epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world". The series is set to begin filming in January 2023 and Gurira confirmed she would be a writer on the series and be credited as a co-creator alongside Gimple.

Others

Wizards of the Coast worked with AMC to include characters and elements of ''The Walking Dead'', into ''Magic: The Gathering'' as part of a 2020 "Secret Lair" card set.

Parodies and spoofs

Due to its popularity, ''The Walking Dead'' has inspired dozens of parodies and spoofs featured on YouTube channels like Bad Lip Reading and television series such as ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''Mad TV''. Bad Lip Reading made a widely viewed parody involving Rick and the Governor, entitled "La-Bibbida-Bibba-Dum". The series's cast was shown the parody at the

in 2013, and David Morrisseywho portrays the Governor reacted by saying he now understood why so many people would walk up to him on the street and blurt, "Hey, La-Bibbida-Bibba-Dum!" Until seeing the video, he had wondered, "what's wrong with these people?" ''The Walking Dead'' has also been represented as a live comedy performance by English comedian Dan Willis (comedian), Dan Willis at the Edinburgh Festival. A parody film called ''The Walking Deceased'' was released in 2015.

Release

Sarah Wayne Callies and Andrew Lincoln of The Walking Dead

Scenes from the pilot were screened July 23, 2010, as part of the

in 2010. It premiered on AMC on October 31, 2010, and premiered internationally on Fox Networks Group, Fox International Channels during the first week of November. Almost two weeks before the official premiere on AMC, the pilot episode leaked online. International broadcast rights for the series were sold and announced on June 14, 2010. The series airs on Fox International Channels in 126 countries in 33 languages. The fifth season debuted its first part on October 13, 2014. The second part premiered on February 9, 2015. On May 20, 2021, it was announced, following the closure of the Fox (British and Irish TV channel), Fox channel in the UK and Ireland, that the eleventh and final season would instead be released on the Star (Disney+), Star hub on

the day after episodes air in the United States.

Home media

The first season DVD and Blu-ray was released on March 8, 2011. A three-disc special edition of the first season—featuring new featurettes and audio commentaries—was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 4, 2011. The European versions of the first season DVD and Blu-ray are edited for gore, with cuts to episode two ("Guts"), episode three ("Tell It to the Frogs"), episode four ("Vatos") and episode five ("Wildfire"). Until eOne/WVG re-released the first season in D-A-CH in a ''Special Uncut Version'' on DVD and Blu-ray on May 31, 2013. The second season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 28, 2012. It was also released as a limited edition Blu-ray, packaged as a miniature zombie head designed by McFarlane Toys. Special features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, webisodes, and several featurettes. The third season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 27, 2013. It was also released as a limited edition Blu-ray, packaged as a miniature version of the Governor's zombie head aquarium tank designed by Greg Nicotero and sculpted by McFarlane Toys. Special features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and several featurettes. The fourth season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 26, 2014. It was also released as a limited edition Blu-ray, packaged with a tree-walker designed by McFarlane Toys. Special features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and several featurettes, as well as extended episodes which are exclusive to the Blu-ray. The fifth season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 25, 2015, the sixth season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 23, 2016, the seventh season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 22, 2017, the eighth season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 21, 2018, and the ninth season DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 20, 2019. The tenth season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 20, 2021. Home video release for the first six seasons was distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment (under license from AMC Networks), with releases for the seventh season onwards distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in the United States. The international home video releases were distributed by Entertainment One.

Syndication

MyNetworkTV acquired the broadcast syndication rights to the series, premiering on October 1, 2014. The version that airs on MyNetworkTV is edited to meet broadcast television standards.

Reception

Critical reception

The first six seasons and the ninth, tenth and eleventh seasons of ''The Walking Dead'' have been well reviewed by recognized critics, while the seventh and eighth seasons received more mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an average score of 80%. For the first season, 87% of 100 Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a positive review, with an average score of 7.35/10. That site's consensus states, "Blood-spattered, emotionally resonant, and white-knuckle intense, ''The Walking Dead'' puts an intelligent spin on the overcrowded zombie subgenre." Metacritic scored the first season 82/100 based on 25 critic reviews, 23 of which were positive, two mixed, and none negative. For the second season, 80% of 203 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were positive, with an average score of 8.05/10. The site's consensus states, "The second season of The Walking Dead fleshes out the characters while maintaining the grueling tension and gore that made the show a hit." Of 22 Metacritic critic reviews, 18 were positive, four were mixed, and none were negative; their average score was 80/100. Early criticism of the series focused on the slow pace of the second season, particularly the first half. Ken Tucker of ''Entertainment Weekly'', described the series as "a nighttime Soap opera, soap", comparing it to "a parody of a Samuel Beckett play" that had very little sense of direction and few appearances of walkers. Nate Rawlings of ''Time (magazine), Time''s online entertainment section noted that "the pace during the first half of this season has been brutally slow. [...] They've tried to develop individual characters, but each subplot meant to add a layer to a character has been quickly resolved." Later reviews from other critics, such as Scott Wampler of Collider.com, recognized the increased quality of the second half, stating it "seemed far more intense, more interesting, better written". Recognizing the overall season, Kevin Yeoman of ''Screen Rant'' offered praise saying "the writers succeeded in unshackling themselves from the intermittent monotony brought about by the serial nature of the show". The third season had 88% of Rotten Tomatoes' 327 critics giving it a positive review, with an average score of 7.85/10. The site's consensus states, "The palpable terror and visceral thrills continue in the third season of ''The Walking Dead'', along with a deeper sense of the people who inhabit its apocalyptic landscape." Metacritic's 19 critics rated the season 82/100, all of whom gave a positive review. For the fourth season, 81% of Rotten Tomatoes' 316 critic reviews were positive, with an average score of 7.60/10. The site's consensus states, "Consistently thrilling, with solid character development and enough gore to please grindhouse fans, this season of ''The Walking Dead'' continues to demonstrate why it's one of the best horror shows on television". Metacritic scored the season 75/100 based on 16 critic reviews, 13 of which were positive, three mixed, and none negative. The fifth season had 90% of Rotten Tomatoes' 374 critic reviews rating it positively, with an average score of 6.95/10. The site's consensus states, "Thanks to a liberal dose of propulsive, bloody action and enough compelling character moments to reward longtime fans, ''The Walking Dead''s fifth season continues to deliver top-notch entertainment." Metacritic scored the fifth season 80/100 based on 11 critic reviews, all of which were positive. For the sixth season, 76% of Rotten Tomatoes' 512 critic reviews were positive, with an average score of 7.40/10. The site's consensus states, "Six seasons in, ''The Walking Dead'' is still finding ways to top itself, despite slow patches that do little to advance the plot." Metacritic scored the sixth season 79/100 based on 10 critic reviews, nine of which were positive, one mixed, and none negative. For the seventh season, 66% of Rotten Tomatoes' 620 critic reviews rated it positively, with an average score of 6.85/10. The site's consensus is, "Increased character depth and effective world-building helps ''The Walking Dead'' overcome a tiresome reliance on excessive, gratuitous violence." After the controversial The Day Will Come When You Won't Be, season premiere episode was aired, critic Matt Zoller Seitz criticized the series' consistently cynical use of violence, stating that "The longer this series goes on, the more obvious it becomes that the violence is the point, and everything else is an intellectual fig leaf." For the eighth season, 65% of Rotten Tomatoes' 447 critic reviews rated it positively, with an average score of 6.65/10. The site's consensus states "''The Walking Dead''s eighth season energizes its characters with some much-needed angst and action, though it's still occasionally choppy and lacking forward-moving plot progression." For the ninth season, 89% of Rotten Tomatoes' 365 critic reviews were positive, with an average score of 7.15/10. The site's consensus states, "Nine seasons in, ''The Walking Dead'' feels more alive than ever, with heightened tension and a refreshed pace that rejuvenates this long-running franchise." Metacritic scored the ninth season 72/100 based on 4 critic reviews, 3 of which were positive, one mixed, and none negative. For the tenth season, 77% of Rotten Tomatoes' 392 critic reviews were positive, with an average score of 7/10. The site's consensus states, "A few changes in front of and behind the camera allow ''TWD'' create space for compelling new stories and some seriously scary new adversaries." For the eleventh season, 81% of Rotten Tomatoes' 224 critic reviews were positive, with an average score of 5.7/10. The site's consensus states, "While the sense of finality is diminished by the promise of even more spinoffs, ''The Walking Dead''s eleventh conclusion is a solid enough conclusion to an epic tale of zombies that never had a clear offramp to begin with. In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked ''The Walking Dead'' as the #8 sci-fi show.

Comments about diversity

Some critics have commented on the increasing Diversity (politics), diversity of the series. This approach was initially applauded by commentators. In 2015, Lindsay Putnam of the ''New York Post'' questioned whether the show was in danger of becoming "too diverse" as the show "seemingly reached critical mass for its nonwhite, nonmale survivors — and now has no choice but to kill them off". Robert Kirkman has discussed the increasing diversity of the show and the comic books. He has described how he regrets the lack of diversity in the early issues of the comic book series and explained how they would have been "vastly more diverse" if he were to have started them now.

Ratings

During its first season, ''The Walking Dead'' attracted between four and six million viewers. Viewership began to increase in its second season. During seasons three to seven, it attracted ten to seventeen million viewers. In 2012, during its third season, it became the first cable series in television history to have the highest total viewership of any series during the fall season among 18- to 49-year-old adults. In 2014, total viewership for the show's No Sanctuary (The Walking Dead), fifth-season premiere was 17.3 million, making it the most-watched series episode in cable history. In 2016, a ''New York Times'' study of the 50 television series with the most Facebook Like, Facebook likes found that like most other zombie series, ''The Walking Dead'' "is most popular in rural areas, particularly southern Texas and eastern Kentucky". Ratings began to decline during season seven and have continued to steadily drop, which was blamed on a variety of factors, including Rick's presumed death. By the end of season nine, fewer viewers were watching than at any time since the show's first season.

Awards and nominations

''The Walking Dead'' was nominated for Best New Series by the Writers Guild of America Awards 2011 and Best Television Series Drama by the 68th Golden Globe Awards. The series was named one of the top 10 television programs of 2010 by the American Film Institute Awards 2010. For the 37th Saturn Awards, the series received six nominations—for Best Television Presentation, Andrew Lincoln for Best Actor in Television,

for Best Actress on Television, Steven Yeun for Best Supporting Actor in Television, Laurie Holden for Best Supporting Actress in Television, and Noah Emmerich for Best Guest Starring Role in Television. The series was nominated for Best Drama Series by the inaugural 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards. The pilot episode "Days Gone Bye" received three nominations from the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards—for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series and won for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special. For the 41st Saturn Awards, the series received its highest number of nominations, with a total of seven, including for the series itself, Andrew Lincoln for Best Actor on Television,

for Best Supporting Actor on Television,

and

for Best Supporting Actress on Television,

for Best Guest Star on Television, and

for Best Young Performer on Television.

Lawsuits

Breach of contract suits

's departure as showrunner in July 2011 during the second season came as surprise to many, as it came shortly after the season's premiere and a few days after that year's San Diego Comic-Con, Comic-Con, where Darabont helped to promote the series. It was speculated that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series; however, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' reported that AMC had fired him. There had been reported difficulties in the production of the second season, including disputes over planned budget cuts and executive meddling, and it was known that Darabont and AMC had several discussions relating to these factors. Neither Darabont, AMC, nor the cast nor crew of ''The Walking Dead'' spoke about the reasons for his firing. In December 2013, Darabont and his agents from Creative Artists Agency (CAA) filed a lawsuit against AMC in a New York court, citing breach of contract. A central part of Darabont's lawsuit accuses AMC of denying him and the CAA the promised profits from the success of the series, based on how AMC had used vertical integration in producing and distributing ''The Walking Dead''. As stated in Darabont's filing, he had initially entered into a contract with AMC to have a third-party studio produce the series, from which he would have obtained 12.5% of that entity's profits, after standard deductions. AMC wanted to produce the series in-house, and for the first season, Darabont's lawyers had been assured that Darabont would be protected from self-dealing fees by having AMC commit to imputed income, imputed license fees equivalent to those of other independent studios, with Darabont earning profit from that. Darabont's suit contends that when the series's popularity took off, AMC presented a license fee deal to Darabont around February 2011 that used "an unconscionably low license fee formula" such that AMC could report the series running at a loss and ensuring that Darabont would never see any profit from the series; as an example, the suit references statements in 2012, following the second season, that AMC claimed the series was running at a $49 million deficit, despite being one of the most popular series in broadcast. Darabont's suit contends he was fired just at the start of the second season so that AMC would avoid having to pay him. Initial discovery (law), discovery phase hearings were held in 2014. Darabont's lawyers sought to gain information from AMC on their other series, specifically ''Breaking Bad'' and ''

'', to obtain a "fair market value" for ''The Walking Dead''. AMC asserted it had done no wrongdoing, had already paid Darabont $3 million upfront for two seasons, and was able to properly set the imputed license fee that worked into the profit formula for Darabont. The network resisted the request to provide otherwise confidential information on the other series. The court granted Darabont's lawyers access to the requested information as part of the discovery phase. Darabont described "crisis-level problems" during the series's production while under deposition, claiming that AMC had cut the per-episode budget from $3.4 million to $3 million while keeping the tax credit offered by the state of Georgia for filming there, effectively reducing the production budget by 25%. In August 2015, Darabont requested to amend his original complaint that AMC further reduced his profits from the second season as his firing mid-season meant he was not fully vested in the season, allowing AMC to reduce the profits paid him. Darabont's amended request points out that he had written and produced all the episodes in that season already and was entitled to the proper profit share. The judge granted this amendment in February 2016, partially influenced by concerns raised in Darabont's deposition. At the end of the discovery phase in September 2016, Darabont's lawyers stated they were seeking damages of over $280 million; AMC stated they would "vigorously" defend against the lawsuit. Summary judgement statements were completed in July 2017. While waiting for summary judgement, Darabont and the CAA filed a second lawsuit against AMC, based on further evaluation of material from the discovery phase. The second suit contended that AMC purposely manipulated some of its licensing fees that should go to Darabont, such as revenue from digital sales and from overseas markets, and sought an addition in damages. Though AMC had initially refused to provide necessary documents for discovery for this new case, AMC did offer to willingly provide them after Darabont's attorneys threatened further legal action during October 2018. By December 2018, the presiding judge ruled against issuing summary judgement in the case, setting up for a jury trial to hear the full case. Due to the retirement of the judge that had overseen the previous cases, a new judge was assigned to the case in February 2019, who joined both the initial 2013 suit and the 2018 suit into a single case, expected to be heard in May 2020. AMC filed a new request for summary judgement of the case in December 2019. The summary judgement was denied, and the jury trial for the case started on February 10, 2020. The judge also denied AMC summary judgement in the second suit for the additional in April 2020, determining that should also go to jury. By July 2021, AMC reported they had settled with Darabont and CAA for and future royalty payments. In August 2017, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Charles Eglee, Glen Mazzara and David Alpert filed similar lawsuits against AMC, citing breach of contract over profits owed to them as a result of AMC's vertical integration. As with Darabont, each had been given a certain percentage of the series's profits based on if the series was produced by a third-party, but when it was transitioned to AMC Studios, their share was dramatically reduced. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' estimated that if the four seek similar damages as Darabont, the lawsuit could be as high as $1 billion. The suits, filed separately in Los Angeles and New York City, were consolidated into a single case heard in a Los Angeles court. Initial hearings over the contractual terms of the "modified adjusted gross receipts" were held in February and March 2020, and the court ruled in July 2020 that AMC had followed the contractual terms in calculating these amounts, giving the network a preliminary victory in the trial. The court issued its final ruling in April 2022, granting summary judgment in favor of AMC, with the judge ruling that there was no contractual language in the plaintiffs' contract dealing with the "modified adjusted gross receipts" and thus there was no actionable claims they could make. Kirkman and the others said that despite the lawsuit, they will continue to work as "partners" with AMC to assure continued success of ''The Walking Dead'' and its spinoff series ''Fear the Walking Dead''.

Stuntman death

During filming of season 8 in July 2017, stuntman John Bernecker was performing a 21-foot drop but ended up missing padded cushions and instead fell onto the concrete floor, sustaining a serious head injury. Though rushed to a hospital, his injuries were too severe and he was taken off life support the next day. AMC and the show's cast and crew expressed remorse for the accident, shutting down production for several days to deal with Bernecker's funeral. The Atlanta Occupational Safety and Health Administration branch launched an investigation of the incident. Bernecker's mother filed a lawsuit in January 2018 against AMC asserting that the production had not taken sufficient precautions to protect Bernecker, including lack of sufficient padding, lack of rehearsal, and not having an ambulance ready to treat his injury. The judge presiding the lawsuit dismissed AMC's claims that it was not responsible since Bernecker was in full control of setting up the stunt, allowing the case to proceed to a jury trial. The trial was held during December 2019, with the jury awarding Bernecker's family in damages on December 19 after finding that TWD 8, the AMC entity managing production, and the production company Stalwart Films were negligent in Bernecker's death, while clearing AMC itself of any wrongdoing.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walking Dead, The The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead (franchise) television series, Walking Dead, The 2010 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series 2010s American drama television series 2020s American LGBT-related drama television series 2020s American drama television series 2010s American horror television series 2020s American horror television series AMC (TV channel) original programming American horror fiction television series English-language television shows Horror drama television series Lesbian-related television shows Post-apocalyptic television series Saturn Award-winning television series Serial drama television series Television franchises Television shows adapted into video games Television shows based on comics Television series about viral outbreaks Television series based on Image Comics Television series by Entertainment One Television shows filmed in Atlanta Television shows filmed in Georgia (U.S. state) Television shows set in Atlanta Television shows set in Richmond, Virginia Television shows set in Virginia Works by Frank Darabont Zombies in television