The Walking Dead

***he Walking Dead*** is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The series features a large ensemble cast as survivors of a zombie apocalypse, trying to stay alive under near-constant threat of attacks from zombies, colloquially known as "walkers". However, with the fall of humanity, these survivors also face conflict from other living survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own sets of laws and morals, often leading to hostile conflict between the human communities. Andrew Lincoln played the series's lead character, Rick Grimes, until his departure during the ninth season. Other long-standing cast members have included Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Josh McDermitt and Christian Serratos.

The series is exclusively broadcast on AMC in the United States and internationally through the Fox Networks Group. The series premiered on October 31, 2010. The tenth season premiered on October 6, 2019, and has been renewed for an eleventh and final season. AMC have also further developed the series into related media; a spinoff series, *Fear the Walking Dead*, premiered on August 23, 2015, and is renewed for a sixth season. A second spinoff, *The Walking Dead: World Beyond*, is set to premiere in 2020. AMC announced plans for three films to follow Rick's story after Lincoln's departure. In 2020, two further spinoffs were announced: one focused on Reedus' and McBride's characters and an anthology series to feature individual character backstories.

*The Walking Dead* is produced by AMC Studios within the state of Georgia, with most filming taking place in the large outdoor spaces of Riverwood Studios near Senoia, Georgia. The series was adapted from the comic by Frank Darabont, who also served as the showrunner for the first season. However, conflicts between Darabont and AMC forced his departure from the series, and which is currently subject to multiple lawsuits by Darabont and others. Following Darabont, Glen Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple, and Angela Kang have all served as showrunners.

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 for Best Television Series – Drama and the Writers Guild of America Award for New Series.

*The Walking Dead* will conclude in 2022 after the eleventh season commences airing in 2021.

## Cast and characters

* Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes: The series's protagonist and a former sheriff's deputy, Rick is the leader of a group of survivors and becomes the leader of Alexandria. (seasons 1–9)
* Jon Bernthal 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 as Lori Grimes: Rick's wife, who has an affair with Shane when she believed Rick was dead. (seasons 1–3)
* Laurie Holden as Andrea: A former civil rights attorney and member of the original Atlanta group of survivors. (seasons 1–3)
* Jeffrey DeMunn as Dale Horvath: 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: A former pizza delivery 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)
* Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes: 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)
* Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon: The group's primary hunter, Daryl becomes a key member of the group and Rick's trusted lieutenant. (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
* Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier: Originally a meek housewife, Carol overcomes domestic abuse to become a skilled, resourceful fighter capable of making difficult decisions. (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
* Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene: The eldest daughter of the Greene family, she marries Glenn, becomes pregnant with their child, and becomes the leader of the Hilltop Colony. (seasons 3–9; special guest star season 10; recurring season 2)
* Danai Gurira as Michonne: A fierce, katana-wielding woman who joins Rick's group. Michonne eventually becomes Rick's romantic partner and a mother-figure to his son, Carl. (seasons 3–10)
* Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene: A veterinarian and farmer 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 as Merle Dixon: Merle is Daryl Dixon's racist and volatile older brother. In the third season, he is the right-hand man to the Governor. (season 3; guest seasons 1–2)
* David Morrissey as Philip Blake / The Governor: 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 as Beth Greene: 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 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 as Sasha Williams: Tyreese's fiery younger sister and a former firefighter, Sasha is the group's sharpshooter. After several personal losses, she suffers from PTSD. (seasons 4–7; special guest star season 9; recurring season 3)
* Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Bob Stookey: A former army medic and recovering alcoholic who develops a close relationship with Sasha. (seasons 4–5)
* Michael Cudlitz as Abraham Ford: Abraham is a former military sergeant on a mission to bring a survivor to Washington, D.C. to find a cure for the walker virus. (seasons 5–7; recurring season 4)
* Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter: A man who claims to know a cure for the walker virus, Eugene is cowardly and inefficient when dealing with walkers, but is very smart. (season 5–present; recurring season 4)
* Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa: A tough, focused, and very capable survivor, and also Abraham's girlfriend. (season 5–present; recurring season 4)
* Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler: A former police academy 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 as Gareth: The cannibalistic 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: A priest who joins Rick's group. He lacks experience with walkers and struggles with his faith in the new world. (season 5–present)
* Lennie James 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 as Jessie Anderson: An Alexandria resident who develops a relationship with Rick. (season 6; recurring season 5)
* Ross Marquand as Aaron: A recruiter who invites Rick's group to Alexandria. (season 6–present; recurring season 5)
* Austin Nichols as Spencer Monroe: Deanna's son and a guard of Alexandria. (seasons 6–7; recurring season 5)
* Tovah Feldshuh as Deanna Monroe: A former Congresswoman and leader of Alexandria. (season 6; recurring season 5)
* Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan: The totalitarian, sociopathic leader of the Saviors. (season 7–present; special guest star season 6)
* Austin Amelio as Dwight: A ruthless and reluctant member of the Saviors. (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 as Gregory: The selfish and treacherous leader of the Hilltop Colony. (seasons 7–9; guest season 6)
* Khary Payton as Ezekiel: The "king" of a community known as the Kingdom, Ezekiel is a former zookeeper with a pet tiger called Shiva. (season 8–present; recurring season 7)
* Steven Ogg as Simon: A high-ranking member of the Saviors serving as Negan's right-hand man. (season 8; recurring season 7; guest season 6)
* Katelyn Nacon as Enid: An isolated teenager in Alexandria who forms a bond with Carl. (seasons 8–9; recurring seasons 6–7; guest season 5)
* Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis / Anne: The impassive, enigmatic leader of the Scavengers. (seasons 8–9; recurring season 7)
* Callan McAuliffe as Alden: A former member of the Saviors, but later switches his allegiance to the Hilltop. (season 9–present; recurring season 8)
* Avi Nash as Siddiq: A former vagabond and doctor who is rescued by Carl and brought to Alexandria. (seasons 9–10; recurring season 8)
* Samantha Morton as Alpha: 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 as Beta: The second-in-command of the Whisperers and Alpha's right-hand man. (season 10; recurring season 9)
* Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko: Magna's girlfriend who's a proficient archer. (season 10–present; recurring season 9)
* Cooper Andrews as Jerry: A member of the Kingdom and Ezekiel's steward. (season 10–present; recurring seasons 7–9)
* Nadia Hilker as Magna: The feisty leader of a small group of roaming survivors. (season 10–present; recurring season 9)
* Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes: The biological daughter of Lori Grimes and Shane Walsh. She was adopted by Rick Grimes after she was born. (season 10–present; recurring season 9)
* Cassady McClincy as Lydia: Alpha's daughter and former Whisperer. (season 10–present; recurring season 9)
* Lauren Ridloff as Connie: A deaf member of Magna's group and Kelly's sister. (season 10–present; recurring season 9)

## Production

On January 20, 2010, AMC 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 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 showrunner. 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.