The Walking Dead

Starring: Norman Reedus (175 episodes), Melissa McBride (174 episodes), Lauren Cohan (144 episodes), Christian Serratos (130 episodes), Josh McDermitt (130 episodes), Danai Gurira (126 episodes), Seth Gilliam (125 episodes), Andrew Lincoln (121 episodes), Ross Marquand (116 episodes), Chandler Riggs (109 episodes), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (95 episodes), Alanna Masterson (87 episodes), Khary Payton (83 episodes), Steven Yeun (81 episodes), Cooper Andrews (76 episodes), Sonequa Martin-Green (70 episodes), Eleanor Matsuura (58 episodes), Lauren Ridloff (56 episodes), Nadia Hilker (56 episodes), Callan McAuliffe (55 episodes), Cassady McClincy (54 episodes), Cailey Fleming (53 episodes), Lennie James (52 episodes), Emily Kinney (50 episodes), Katelyn Nacon (50 episodes), Tom Payne (45 episodes), Michael Cudlitz (38 episodes), Scott Wilson (38 episodes), Austin Amelio (36 episodes), Kerry Cahill (36 episodes), Sarah Wayne Callies (35 episodes), Laurie Holden (35 episodes), Angel Theory (34 episodes), Xander Berkeley (33 episodes), Chad L. Coleman (31 episodes), Austin Nichols (27 episodes), Paola Lazaro (28 episodes), Nadine Marissa (27 episodes), Kenric Green (26 episodes), Jason Douglas (25 episodes), Michael James Shaw (24 episodes), Polyanna McIntosh (24 episodes), Antony Azor (24 episodes), Samantha Morton (22 episodes), Margot Bingham (22 episodes), Mandi Christine Kerr (22 episodes), Jon Bernthal (21 episodes), Steven Ogg (21 episodes), Lindsley Register (21 episodes), David Morrissey (20 episodes), Ryan Hurst (20 episodes), Irone Singleton (20 episodes), Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (20 episodes), Josh Hamilton (20 episodes), Jeffrey DeMunn (19 episodes), Okea Eme-Akwari (19 episodes), James Chen (19 episodes), Michael Rooker (17 episodes), Dan Fogler (17 episodes), Kien Michael Spiller (17 episodes), Anabelle Holloway (17 episodes), Jordan Woods-Robinson (16 episodes), Matt Mangum (16 episodes), Peter Luis Zimmerman (16 episodes), Anthony Michael Lopez (16 episodes), Laila Robins (15 episodes), Alexandra Breckenridge (14 episodes), Tovah Feldshuh (14 episodes), Lynn Collins (14 episodes), Karen Ceesay (14 episodes), Thora Birch (9 episodes), Austin Abrams (9 episodes), Jackson Pace (9 episodes), Corey Hawkins (6 episodes), Kevin Carroll (6 episodes), C. Thomas Howell (3 episodes), Kerry Condon (2 episodes), Noah Emmerich (2 episodes), Pruitt Taylor Vince (2 episodes), Kirk Acevedo (2 episodes), Maximiliano Herandez (2 episodes), Alicia Witt (1 episode), Aldis Hodge (1 episode), Enver Gjokaj (1 episode), Keisha Castle-Hughes (1 episode), Robert Patrick (1 episode), John Carroll Lynch (1 episode), Ethan Embry (1 episode), Yvette Nicole Brown (1 episode), Michael Biehn (1 episode)
Directed by: Greg Nicotero (37 episodes), Michael E. Satrazemis (17 episodes), David Boyd (13 episodes), Ernest R. Dickerson (11 episodes), Guy Ferland (6 episodes), Billy Gierhart (6 episodes), Michael Cudlitz (4 episodes), Daniel Sackheim (2 episode), Kari Skogland (2 episodes), Frederick E.O. Toyle (2 episodes), Jon Amiel (2 episodes), Frank Darabont (1 episode), Jeremy Podeswa (1 episode), John Dahl (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
2010-2022

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11

Summary: A small group of people fight for survival during a zombie apocalypse.

Review:
Tim: I struggle so much to write about a series like The Walking Dead. How can you summarize something that spans 12 years, covers 177 episodes, and has a cast of characters that would make your head spin? How do you glorify the early seasons, when the show was primetime, can't-miss television? What about after the series lost its lead and continued on, never quite as good, yet fairly compelling? What about when the series eventually overstayed its welcome a bit, when you were glad to finally see it end? For me, The Walking Dead has been so many things over the years. I'll never properly eulogize it, but I'll do my best.

When The Walking Dead debuted in 2010, no one had ever seen anything quite like it. It was a gritty, gruesome, often hopeless show about survivors battling zombies and more frighteningly, each other. It was a brutal show, but the twists and turns made it appointment television. There's not many shows I watch every single week when the episodes first drop, but The Walking Dead was one of those series. You never knew who was going to die or what was going to happen next, and you had to be there for it. A television series that becomes a cultural phenomenon is incredibly rare, but this series achieved that. The first season was only 6 episodes, but viewers were hooked. The ratings were insane. It's debut was one of the highest rating ones in television history. The season five premier hit 17 million viewers, plus another 5 million over the next week. That's stunning. The series did eventually wane and fewer viewers turned in, although it's hard to know how many since streaming became significantly more important to viewers.

But, this isn't a review about ratings. The Walking Dead was a thoroughly entertaining show. It was often bleak, but the characters were tenacious, fighting against all odds to survive. The show racked up some big deaths along the way- and it had done such a tremendous job of character development that each death hurt, they mattered. The series was able to do something that's never been done before- to tell a long-form story about a zombie apocalypse not over two hours, but over a decade. That was incredible to watch, as these characters survived (or didn't) and always moved forward. There may never be anything quite like this again.

I'm struggling to even begin talking about the cast. It's massive and I eventually just gave up in listing cast members above. There's just too many. I do want to start with Andrew Lincoln. I know he eventually left the show and that hurt it significantly. But, Lincoln is what made this series what it was. Rick Grimes is such a wonderful character. Complex, flawed, but undoubtedly a hero. I loved what Lincoln did in this role and the character of Rick is one of my all-time favorites. There's many actors who appeared in more episodes, but Lincoln is still one of the greatest parts of this series. If you're giving out MVPs, though, that needs to go to Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride. They were here for the entirety of the show, the true Walking Dead survivors. Reedus emerged as the series' biggest surprise, turning Darryl Dixon into an iconic character. Whatever Reedus does the rest of his career, he'll always be loved because of his wonderful performance as Darryl. He really stepped up in Lincoln's absence and became the face of the franchise. McBride did incredible work as well. Her character arc is one of the best I've ever seen on television and she became essential to this franchise. Carol mattered and McBride influenced the series in countless ways. Lauren Cohan disappeared for a while, but she was so instrumental to this series. Maggie might not have been there from the beginning, but it felt like she was. Her character's arc was fascinating and she was involved in some of the series' biggest moments. This series wouldn't be what it was without Cohan. Danai Gurira was fantastic as Michonne. She really emerged as one of the leads when Lincoln left, but she eventually departed the series, too. Still, her work here was monumental. I never liked Christian Serratos and Josh McDermitt as much as others. They were longtime cast members, although they annoyed me plenty. Seth Gilliam was excellent as Gabriel. Ross Marquand surprised me- I would always forget his character's name, but I loved his performance. Chandler Riggs was solid, you can't think of this series without thinking about Carl.

I do want to specifically call out Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. When I think about the one scene in this show that sums it all up for me, it's the scene with our heroes kneeling and Negan about to kill someone. It's an iconic moment, split between seasons. Morgan played Negan with such glee, you loved and hated this character. He showed up at a time when the series felt like it could have waned, but his energetic performance reinvigorated the franchise. I never expected to love/hate Negan as much as I did, but he left a lasting impression on the series. What I didn't expect was that Negan would hang out and undergo one of the most impressive character transformations I've ever seen on television. I loved so much what his character became. So, in a series filled with MVPs, you have to count Morgan as one of them.

Khary Payton first seemed so odd as Ezekial, but he eventually became essential to the series. Steven Yeun's performance as Glenn can't be overstated. Everyone loves Glenn and what he meant to this series. Yeun was a fantastic addition to the cast and one of the most important members of the cast. I'll always be a fan of Yeun for his terrific work making Glenn feel real. Cooper Andrews always made me smile in his role. I loved that Sonequa Martin-Green showed up here and she made a huge difference during her run. I'm a huge Lennie James fan and I love how he was introduced and eventually brought back. His importance to this franchise can't be overstated- he made this show significantly better, then left to save Fear the Walking Dead. He's such a wonderful addition to the cast. Lauren Ridloff did excellent work, but I wish she was given more to do. I miss Emily Kinney. Her performance as Beth was excellent and the show was worse when she left. Michael Cudlitz did some great work for several years here. Scott Wilson was amazing as Herschel. You felt his presence long after his time ended. Sarah Wayne Callies was one of the original cast and helped launch the series to stardom. The same can be said for Laurie Holden- her character drove you crazy, but her performance hit all the right notes. Samantha Morton saved an entire season with her performance as Alpha. Jon Bernthal was one of the highlights of the original series. His role as Shane was as important as anyone's in this series. I loved the interactions between him and Lincoln. They worked exceptionally well together. I love Bernthal and it's not surprising he was essential to the early days of this series. David Morrissey is always memorable as The Governor. Sometimes I forget Michael Rooker was on this show (it's been a decade), but you couldn't stop thinking about Merle when the series first debuted. Dan Fogler was a late addition but brought so much energy to the role. I could keep going- so many important characters I haven't mentioned, but I think you get the idea. The cast was enormous and so many people contributed in so many different ways to this series.

I'm not really sure how to summarize all the ups-and-downs here. You had the excellent but short first season. Season two felt very stuck on Herschel's farm, but it introduced so many iconic characters. Season three and then four with the prison and the Governor were so thrilling- it felt like the show had its first "big bad" and was better for it. Season five was a bit weaker, but it did bring back Morgan at the end. Seasons six and seven were all about Negan and I loved the constant feeling of danger and dread. Season eight had some powerful moments and concluded the war with Negan. Season nine felt like it was going downhill for most of the time, but Alpha eventually reinvigorated it. Season ten had some good moments, but it felt like the series was definitely winding down. The final season, season eleven, split into two (honestly, it was two different seasons) with the focus on the Commonwealth was perhaps the weakest. But, the final episode was solid.

There's so many ups and so many downs throughout this series. There were seasons when I was there for every episode as it aired. There were seasons when I was mostly bored and towards the end, I had to watch half a season in a week just to catch up so I could see the finale. But, I won't focus on the down parts. The Walking Dead was brilliant, powerful, and told a story unlike any ever told before. To watch these survivors for a decade plus is something I'll always cherish. This is one of the all-time great television series, no doubt about it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Passage, Falling Skies, The Stand