Maybe The Next Season of The Walking Dead Should Be Its Last

By: Tyler Miller

If you aren’t in the know, The Walking Dead is about to change in a major way next season. Reports have come out that like Rick Grimes actor Andrew Lincoln will be leaving the show during season nine. With that in mind, perhaps the show should end with his exit.

The Walking Dead has been on the air since 2010, and it’s been one of the most popular shows on TV. The show is an absolute juggernaut, but we can’t ignore the fact that the show’s ratings have been on the decline for the past few years, with the ratings for season eight being at their lowest since season three. The biggest reason for this is because many feel that the show has grown stagnant and has no real endgame in sight. Part of it is also because of the fact that people believe that the many other aspects of the show aren’t as good as they were in the past, such as how the characters have developed, and the way in which the story is told.

While I can admit that some of the recent seasons may not be as good as past ones, I do still believe that the show is pretty good and I like how certain things have played out on the show. That all being said, as much as I would hate for this to happen, I feel like the show should end with Andrew Lincoln’s departure. Not only is Rick the main character of the series, he’s the core character that drives the story of The Walking Dead. We’ve been following him ever since before he woke up in that Georgia hospital, as he went looking for his family, assuming the role of group leader to keep his family and friends safe, and then constantly searching for a place they could call home and start to build the world back to how it was before walkers ruled the land.

Although the show has a litany of core and supporting characters, Rick is the one that the show revolves around, and it’s his story that drives the main plot. Removing him from the equation leaves us with a Walking Dead that’s in even worse shape than it is now. Sure people may not like Rick that much because of how his character has developed over the years, but he’s a part of the reason why many others have continued to watch the show all this time. Taking him out of the show would only bring the ratings down even more than they already are.

There’s been talk that Norman Reedus (who plays the fan favorite character Daryl Dixon) will take over as lead once Lincoln parts ways with the show. While Daryl is a character that’s loved by just about every fan of the show, I don’t see how he could carry the show as its lead character. I’m not saying anything about Reedus’ acting chops, as I feel he has those. I just don’t think the character of Daryl is as compelling or powerful a character as Rick is. And if Lauren Cohan (who plays Maggie on the show) is leaving as well, then that removes another longstanding core character from the show. The less characters there are on the show that people truly care about, the less likely people will be to keep watching, no matter who’s taking the lead.

This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if Carl was still alive, but he was killed this past season in a decision that was very controversial. Having Carl alive would allow us to do a big time jump and see him as a man that’s in charge of his own community, trying to lead like Rick and create the world that his father envisioned for himself and his sister Judith. The passing of the torch would be very natural as it’s a perfect endpoint for Rick’s story, and what the show (and comics) have really been building up to. Since that’s not an option though for the show, we’re stuck with Daryl taking over.

The show is getting a new showrunner next season, with Angela Kang stepping into the role, so perhaps she can find a way to make this all happen naturally and smoothly, that does all characters involved justice. And perhaps Andrew and Lauren’s exits from the show will rejuvenate things and give the series some new life. They could truly go in an even farther direction from the comics than they have been lately, and introduce new stories that aren’t from the comics. All these possibilities are exciting, but they’re also very worrying.

I don’t think I want a Walking Dead without Rick. If this was a spinoff, then that’d be one thing. But the core series is about Rick and it always has been about him. After being on this journey with him for so long, I’m not quite sure if I’ll want to see how the show goes on without him. It reminds me of when Steve Carrell left The Office in the seventh season, only for the show to end two seasons later. The show was still entertaining, but everything after he left just wasn’t as good and showed that losing the character of Michael Scott caused the show to lose a core piece of what made it so special.

The Walking Dead risks having the same thing happen, and I’m honestly terrified to see what’s going to come of all this. The show would be better off if they ended things with this season and let things end naturally with the closure of Rick’s story. Let’s not try and milk things for longer than they need to be with a cow that’s not our real prize winner.