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The Walking Dead is an American horror drama television series developed by Frank Darabont. It is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. Andrew Lincoln stars as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find an apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies, called "walkers". He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010, on the cable television channel AMC in the United States. The show premiered internationally during the first week of November 2010 on Fox International Channels. Because of its high Nielsen ratings, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011. Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced the show would return for a third season of 16 episodes, which began airing on October 14, 2012. On December 21, 2012, AMC renewed The Walking Dead for a fourth season of 16 episodes, which premiered on October 13, 2013. On October 29, 2013, AMC renewed it for a fifth season, which premiered on October 12, 2014. On October 7, 2014, AMC renewed it for a sixth season. In addition, AMC has ordered a companion series, Fear the Walking Dead, to debut in summer 2015.

The series has been well received by critics and has been nominated for many awards, including the Writers Guild of America Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. It has also attained unprecedentedly high Nielsen ratings, surpassing various records for a cable series, including viewership of 17.3 million for its season five premiere, making it the most-watched drama series telecast in cable history.

Series overview

Based on the comic book series of the same name, The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group surviving during a zombie apocalypse. The first season takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the second through fourth seasons are set in the surrounding countryside of northern Georgia. Survivors search for a safe haven away from the shuffling hordes of predatory "walkers" or "biters" – as zombies are called by the main characters – that eat any living animal they catch, and whose bite is quickly lethal to humans. The plot focuses primarily on the dilemmas the group faces as they struggle to maintain their humanity in the midst of a chaotic world full of zombie hordes and hostile human survivors.

Season 1 (2010)

Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes is shot and wounded in an altercation with criminals. He awakens from a months-long coma in an abandoned and badly-damaged hospital. Rick leaves the hospital and discovers an apocalyptic world overrun with zombies, colloquially called "walkers" and "biters". He returns to his house to find his wife and son missing, and meets survivors Morgan Jones and Morgan's son Duane, who take Rick in and explain the situation. Rick arms himself and travels to Atlanta, Georgia, wherein the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is said to have set up a quarantined Safe Zone within the city. Instead, he discovers the city has been overrun by walkers and soon finds himself surrounded by them. After being rescued by Glenn Rhee, Rick meets part of Glenn's group hiding in a nearby department store. Walkers overrun the store, forcing the group to leave Merle Dixon, an unstable and violent member of the group whom Rick had handcuffed to a drain pipe on the roof.

A few miles outside Atlanta, Rick's wife Lori and son Carl have been hiding with Shane Walsh, Rick's police partner and best friend. Rick does not know they were part of the other half of Glenn's group. Shane unintentionally misleads Lori into believing that Rick is dead, as he himself believes it. Thinking herself a widow, Lori begins an affair with Shane.

Rick reunites with the group at the camp and begins sharing the command with Shane. Rick decides to return to Atlanta with Glenn, T-Dog, and Merle's younger brother Daryl, to rescue Merle and collect a cache of guns Rick had left behind. They discover that Merle had fled after sawing off his hand. They arrive back at the camp to find it under attack by walkers. Several group members are killed, including Carol's abusive husband Ed, and Amy and Jim are bitten. The group decides to travel to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta in hopes of finding answers and a possible cure for Jim.

At the CDC, only one staff member, Dr. Edwin Jenner, remains. He is the widower of the former CDC director whom he was forced to fatally shoot after she was bitten by a walker. He shows the video of her killing to Rick to help explain the disease and its progression. All other CDC personnel have either fled or committed suicide. Dr. Jenner explains that he continued researching the pandemic but has been unable to find a cure, although researchers in France may have discovered one before they were wiped out by walkers. Lack of fuel for the emergency generators soon initiates building safety protocols designed to destroy the facility and all of its occupants in order to prevent the escape of deadly diseases. Dr. Jenner and a member of Rick's group, Jacqui, have lost all hope and decide to remain inside. Before Rick and the others escape, Dr. Jenner whispers something into Rick's ear. Rick's face registers shock. Rick, Lori, Carl, Daryl, Carol, Sophia, Glenn, T-Dog, Dale, and Andrea escape seconds before an explosion incinerates the CDC.

Season 2 (2011–12)

The second season begins with Rick with his group of survivors escaping the CDC. They choose Fort Benning as their next destination. Along the way, they encounter a traffic jam of abandoned vehicles on Interstate 85. The group loots several vehicles, and the group assumes that all is well until a large herd of walkers approaches, and they are forced to disperse and hide under cars. A walker chases Carol's daughter, Sophia, out from her hiding spot and, with another walker, pursues her into the woods. Rick finds her but loses her again after drawing off the walkers. During the search for Sophia, a hunter named Otis accidentally shoots Carl. To get help for him, Otis leads Rick and Shane to a large, isolated farm owned by a veterinarian named Hershel Greene, then helps Shane look for medical supplies at the local high school. After getting them, Shane injures his leg and betrays Otis to the walkers so that he can get away. The survivors then move to the farm while Carl recovers, trying to coexist with Hershel's family, but dangerous secrets and disagreements over leadership cause tensions to rise. Lori is revealed to be pregnant (she is unsure whether Rick or Shane is the father), and Glenn builds a romantic relationship with Maggie, Hershel's elder daughter. Glenn also discovers that the barn is full of walkers, some of whom are Hershel's family members and neighbors. After an angry Shane releases the walkers to be exterminated, Sophia emerges from the barn, as a walker, and Rick reluctantly shoots her.

Beth, Hershel's youngest daughter, collapses in shock over the barn incident, which included her face-to-face encounter on the ground with her mother-turned-walker who tried to bite her. Hershel disappears to grieve for his wife and other family as well. Rick and Glenn find him drinking at a local tavern, and try to get him to return to the farm. At the tavern, they meet two other survivors (Dave and Tony). The situation rapidly turns sour, and Rick kills the two men in a gunfight. The dead men's group quickly finds and opens fire on Rick, Hershel, and Glenn at the bar. The noise attracts a large herd of walkers, and one of the attackers, Randall, is injured and left behind. Rick and the others take him back to the farm, then realize Randall is likely to reveal the farm's location to his former group. As Rick and the others deliberate about what to do with Randall, a walker fatally wounds Dale, forcing Daryl to euthanize him. The group later conducts a search for Randall, whom Shane had secretly released and murdered in the woods. Daryl and Glenn find Randall — as a walker — and kill him. Daryl concludes that Randall died from a broken neck (rather than a walker's bite or scratch) and subsequently reanimated.

Meanwhile, Shane and Rick confront each other — the former having planned the fake search so he could murder Rick. Rick gets the upper hand and stabs Shane in the torso, killing him. Carl arrives just in time to see Shane reanimate as a walker and shoots him down. The gunshot attracts a large herd of other walkers, who quickly overrun the property. In the ensuing battle and escape, Jimmy and Patricia are devoured, and Andrea is left behind. Andrea survives on her own and is later rescued by a hooded woman carrying a katana sword, and accompanied by chained, armless, jawless walkers. The remaining survivors regroup but are forced to make camp when their vehicles run low on gasoline. Lori shuns Rick after learning that he killed Shane. After hearing of Randall's fate, Rick finally reveals what Jenner whispered to him at the CDC: every survivor is infected with the walker virus. Rick also reveals to the rest of the group that he was forced to kill Shane. Later that night, the group questions Rick's leadership, but Rick asserts a dictatorship-style ultimatum and solidifies his command of the group. In the final scene, a large prison is shown looming in a pan out.

Season 3 (2012–13)

The third season begins several months after the group escaped from the farm, and Lori is in the final days of her pregnancy. The group stumbles on an overrun prison and sets about converting it into their new home. While securing the prison, Hershel is bitten in the ankle by a walker and Rick is forced to amputate it to prevent further infection. They soon find several surviving inmates who have been trapped in the cafeteria. While Rick, Daryl and T-Dog help clear a separate cell block for the inmates to live in, most of the prisoners are killed. Rick's group helps the surviving prisoners — Axel and Oscar — clear a separate cellblock, but they eventually join Rick's group. A walker breakout later splits everyone up. T-Dog is bitten in the struggle and sacrifices himself to save Carol, while Lori goes into labor and insists that Maggie perform an emergency Caesarean section to save the baby, suspecting that it will kill her due to the lack of necessary medical equipment and personnel. As a result of the operation, Lori does die, so Carl is then forced to fatally shoot his own mother to prevent her reanimation, as he had promised her he would do. After several days of mourning, Carl and Rick name the baby Judith.

Meanwhile, Michonne and Andrea are taken to the town of Woodbury, a heavily fortified haven. They meet The Governor, the town's leader, and learn that Merle has taken refuge there as well. Michonne is immediately suspicious of The Governor and the settlement so she decides to leave, but Andrea refuses to go with her because she believes it is safe. Merle is ordered to hunt down Michonne, but only manages to wound her. He subsequently captures Maggie and Glenn while they are out scavenging. Michonne, who witnesses the abduction, eventually arrives at the prison and then guides Rick, Daryl, and Oscar back to Woodbury on a rescue mission. The team saves the couple, but Oscar is killed and Daryl is captured. Michonne stays briefly and attempts to slay The Governor; only she kills his reanimated daughter Penny (whom The Governor had kept chained in a back room in his apartment) and stabs him in the eye with a shard of broken glass during a scuffle. In the aftermath, The Governor calls an assembly and publicly accuses Merle of treason, reuniting him with Daryl in front of the angry mob and ordering them to fight each other. Rick and Maggie come back and rescue them, but after regrouping outside of town, Daryl decides to leave with Merle, as Rick won't allow Merle to join their group.

Back at the prison, Carl meets another band of survivors — led by Tyreese and his sister Sasha — and shelters them. Rick returns, but while he is speaking to the newcomers, Lori appears to him in a hallucination, launching him into a rage and ordering Tyreese's group to leave. They eventually find sanctuary in Woodbury. The Governor and a small team attack the prison the next day, killing Axel and breaching the outer fence before retreating. Merle and Daryl, having decided to rejoin Rick's group, return and help him fight off attacking walkers. Rick and Carl, with Michonne in tow, return to the Grimes' hometown to gather weapons. There, Rick finds Morgan again and learns that Duane was killed by his reanimated mother, whom Morgan couldn't bring himself to kill after she turned. Instead of joining Rick, Morgan chooses to stay behind.

Andrea arranges a meeting between Rick and The Governor, who promises to end all hostilities in exchange for having Michonne handed over to him. Secretly, however, he plans to slaughter the prison group anyway. Andrea discovers the plot and attempts to escape to the prison, but The Governor captures her. Rick tells Merle about the deal and agrees to do the "dirty work" of kidnapping Michonne and handing her over. En route to the meeting point where the Governor is, Merle and Michonne talk, and Merle has a change of heart and releases her. He goes on to foil The Governor's planned ambush, but the two engage in a violent physical confrontation which is won by the latter. Daryl then finds Merle reanimated as a walker and is forced to kill his own brother.

The Governor orders Milton to kill Andrea, and when his former advisor refuses, The Governor fatally stabs Milton and locks him in a room with Andrea, so that he will kill her after he turns. The Governor then leads an assault on the prison, but Rick's group stages an ambush and repels the attack. When the frightened Woodbury soldiers suggest leaving the prison alone, The Governor guns most of them down. Rick, Daryl, and Michonne find Karen — the massacre's sole survivor, except for two of The Governor's henchmen — while on their way to Woodbury to finish off The Governor; Karen convinces Tyreese and Sasha to allow them in when they arrive. They then find Andrea alive but suffering from a bite from the zombified Milton. Andrea uses Rick's revolver to commit suicide with Michonne by her side. The season ends with Rick's group returning to the prison along with the remaining Woodbury survivors, while The Governor's whereabouts remain unknown.

Season 4 (2013–14)

The fourth season begins several months following the close of the third season, where life has become relatively peaceful for the growing number of survivors at the prison. Rick made the decision some time ago to renounce his role as the group's leader, in which a council was formed as a replacement. The peaceful society is disrupted when a deadly influenza virus ravages the population, killing many of the survivors. A scavenging team eventually returns with the medicine needed to contain the outbreak.

Meanwhile, a flashback reveals that The Governor was abandoned by his remaining henchmen following the failed attack on the prison; it then depicts Woodbury burning at the hands of The Governor, before forwarding to the present where he is shown disheveled and wandering aimlessly. He eventually runs into the Chambler family – Lilly, Tara, their terminally ill father David, and Lilly's daughter Meghan. He adopts a false identity and does numerous good deeds for the family. Following David's death, they leave the Chambler home and soon run into The Governor's former henchman Martinez. The Governor kills him and disguises the death as an accident. He takes control over the group of survivors Martinez was leading and rallies them behind his cause for revenge.

The Governor finds Michonne and Hershel outside of the prison and takes them hostage. He arrives at the gates with his new-found army and threatens to kill the hostages. Refusing to surrender, Rick proposes that they coexist at the prison instead of fighting. Sensing that some of his group may be persuaded, The Governor decapitates Hershel with Michonne's katana, provoking a firefight between the two camps. Rick confronts and fights The Governor, who nearly kills him, but Michonne saves Rick in time by mortally wounding The Governor with her sword. The Governor's army is eventually defeated, but the defending survivors are scattered as the prison is overrun by walkers.

Following the battle, the survivors are split into different groups traveling separately; each encountering a variety of obstacles as they search for "Terminus", a place described as a "sanctuary for all" by many signs posted along a series of railroads. Carol and Tyreese struggle with a dilemma involving Lizzie – a mentally disturbed child who murders her younger sister, Mika – which ends with Carol reluctantly killing her to protect Judith and the others. Beth, who was traveling with Daryl and taking shelter with him in a funeral home, is kidnapped during a walker attack. Glenn and Tara are joined by three new survivors – Sgt. Abraham Ford, Rosita Espinosa, and Dr. Eugene Porter – who are on a mission to Washington, D.C. in search of what remains of the government. Dr. Porter reveals that he knows the cause of the walker outbreak but is unable to elaborate, claiming that the information is classified. On the way to Terminus, Glenn and Maggie's groups reunite. They are the first group shown to arrive at Terminus, where they are greeted by Mary, a friendly woman who welcomes them in and offers food.

Meanwhile, Daryl encounters a hostile group of men led by Joe. He allows Daryl to join under the condition that he lives by their code – a strict set of rules punishable by beatings and even death if broken. They eventually find Rick, Michonne and Carl and hold them hostage, seeking revenge for an earlier run-in with Rick that left one of their members strangled to death. Daryl arrives on the scene to stop the attack, and the bandits are eventually overwhelmed and killed. Reunited with Daryl, the group makes their way to Terminus where they run into the town's inhabitants. Rick and the group are reassured that they are now safe, but a conflict breaks out after Rick notices Hershel's watch, Glenn's riot gear, and Maggie's poncho being worn by several of the townspeople. Greatly outnumbered, Rick and the others are forced to surrender. Gareth, the leader of Terminus, orders them into a nearby railroad car where they discover Glenn and Maggie's group are also being held captive. The season ends with Rick claiming, "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out...they're screwing with the wrong people."

Season 5 (2014–15)

The group successfully escapes Terminus after Carol arrives undetected within an army of walkers (whom she had lured) and creates a fiery, explosive diversion. Reunited with Tyreese and Judith, the group runs into and rescues a local reverend, Gabriel Stokes, from a pack of walkers. He leads them back to his well-barricaded church, where Eugene reveals his knowledge of a top secret biochemical weapon that can kill every living being on the planet. Eugene says he believes he can tweak it to target walkers instead. Bob Stookey is kidnapped by Gareth, who with his group of cannibals, eats Bob's leg. Bob reveals that he has been bitten by a walker, causing them to return him to Rick and the group. Daryl and Carol are assumed missing; they had previously departed to chase after a car that Daryl believes was involved in Beth's disappearance.

Some of the Terminus cannibals make it into the church but are soon killed by Rick and some others. Bob dies the next morning, with Sasha at his side; Tyreese stops him from turning. Tara, Glenn, and Maggie depart with Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene in a bus, headed for Washington, D.C., while the rest of the group remains at the church. When the bus crashes, the group decides to continue north. While camped in a library, Eugene reveals to Tara that he purposely sabotaged the bus, fearing that he would otherwise be abandoned when the group discovered that he was a liar and fraud. The following morning, the group continues traveling in a fire truck but are eventually forced to stop after spotting hordes of walkers. During an argument about how they should proceed, Eugene reveals that he lied about his knowledge of a cure and fabricated the mission in order to convince others to help him stay alive. Abraham beats him into unconsciousness, but is prevented by the others from killing him.

Beth awakens in a hospital located in downtown Atlanta, greeted by city police officer Dawn Lerner and Dr. Steven Edwards. Beth soon meets hospital worker Noah, and the two attempt to escape; Beth is recaptured while Noah slips away. Meanwhile, Daryl and Carol are stranded in Atlanta while searching for Beth; they deduce that she is being held at Grady Memorial Hospital. Camped near the hospital, they encounter Noah, who confirms Beth's whereabouts. The cops from the hospital are then attracted, and they capture Carol after hitting her with their car. Daryl and Noah head back to the church to enlist help. Rick, Tyreese, and Sasha accompany Daryl and Noah to Atlanta to rescue Carol and Beth, while Michonne, Carl, Gabriel, and Judith remain at the church. Gabriel escapes into the woods, unintentionally leading a horde of walkers back to the church. The horde is then locked inside the church as Abraham's group returns; when Michonne informs them of the rescue mission, the group departs for Atlanta.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Rick's group captures three police officers from the hospital to make a trade; one of the officers escapes but is soon run down and killed by Rick. At the hospital the trade is completed successfully, but Dawn demands Noah's return; Noah voluntarily complies in order to avoid a firefight. Appalled by the demand, Beth confronts Dawn and stabs her in the shoulder, resulting in Dawn's reflexively shooting Beth in the head. Daryl kills Dawn and carries Beth's body outside the hospital, where they are united with Abraham's group.

Throughout the first half of the season, Morgan Jones is seen following Rick's trail. He finds Rick's warning about Terminus, before following a trail to the church left by Gareth and the cannibals on the hunt for Rick's group. At the church, Morgan is surprised to find Abraham's written note addressed to his friend, "Rick Grimes".

Seventeen days after Beth's death, Rick, Glenn, Michonne, and Tyreese travel to Richmond, Virginia with Noah to reunite him with his family, in order to honor Beth. When they arrive, they discover that Noah's neighborhood is overrun with walkers. Tyreese searches Noah's house, is bitten on the arm by Noah's walker brother, and later dies. The rest of the group is reunited, buries Tyreese and says their goodbyes to him. Convinced by Michonne, the group continues on to Washington, though low on supplies. While staying in a barn, Maggie and Sasha come upon a man, Aaron, who claims he is a "friend" bringing good news and wishes to speak to their group leader. Aaron tells the group he is from the Alexandria Safe Zone and shows them pictures of it, trying to convince them to join him. Rick, however is still very untrusting. After Michonne convinces Rick to go, the group heads towards the Safe Zone. Aaron is reunited with his lover, Eric, along the way. The next morning, the group travels to Alexandria and arrives at the gates, feeling relaxed.

After entering the gates, each member is interviewed by Deanna, the leader of the Safe Zone, and are asked to surrender their weapons. The group is given two neighboring houses to live in. Deanna assigns Rick and Michonne to be Alexandria's constables, and Daryl is later assigned to be a recruiter. While settling in, Rick grows attracted to a married woman named Jessie. Meanwhile, Rick assigns Carol to retrieve their guns. Carol retrieves several pistols and offers them to Rick and Daryl, but Daryl refuses his, saying he feels the residents mean them no harm. Rick hesitantly takes a pistol.

While on a supply run, Aiden and Noah are killed; meanwhile Carol grows suspicious that Pete is physically abusing his wife and son, leading to he and Rick getting into a brawl. Rick nearly kills Pete and then threatens bystanders with a gun before Michonne knocks him unconscious for his own good. Previously, Maggie had overheard Father Gabriel telling Deanna that Rick and his group are demons who can't be trusted. As a result, Deanna announces that there will be a meeting that evening to discuss what to do with Rick and his group, while Pete is forced to live in another home. While out searching for supplies miles away, Daryl and Aaron open a food truck, which turns out to be a walker-infested trap set by The Wolves, which leads to the two finding refuge in a nearby car that becomes swarmed by walkers. Morgan rescues the pair and after showing Daryl the map from the church with Rick's name, joins them on their trip back to Alexandria.

Meanwhile, Nicholas attempts to murder Glenn outside the walls but fails, with Glenn sparing his life. Gabriel leaves the gate open which allows walkers to roam into the Safe Zone. Rick notices and hunts down and kills the walkers before heading to the meeting. Rick tells the community that they must change to survive in this violent apocalyptic world when an enraged, intoxicated Pete shows up with Michonne's katana. Reg tries to calm him down, which results in Pete fatally slashing him in his neck. Abraham immediately relieves Pete of the sword and pins him to the ground. A crying Deanna then tells Rick to "do it" and he complies by fatally shooting Pete in the head without hesitation or reluctance. Morgan, Daryl and Aaron arrive just in time to witness the execution with Morgan and Rick staring at one another.

Future seasons

Executive producer David Alpert said the original comics have given them enough ideas for Rick Grimes and company over the next seven years. "I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what Season 10 is gonna be", Alpert said. "We know where seasons 11 and 12 ... we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we're lucky enough to get there."

Cast and characters

Main

* This actor/actress is not featured in the opening credits, and instead is credited as "also starring", but is otherwise considered by AMC as a series regular.

Recurring

Darabont connections

The series features several actors whom Walking Dead developer Frank Darabont has worked with previously, including Laurie Holden (Andrea), Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale Horvath), Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier), Sam Witwer (the dead soldier in the tank where Rick hides in "Days Gone Bye"), and Juan Gabriel Pareja (Morales). All five appeared in his 2007 film The Mist, along with Thomas Jane, who originally was set to star in the series when it was pitched to HBO. Jane was later in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series as of fall 2010, but with Darabont's departure, it is unknown whether the guest spot will happen or not. Laurie Holden also appeared in the 2001 film The Majestic (as Adele Stanton, Jim Carrey's character's love interest), which Darabont directed. DeMunn has also appeared in several of Darabont's films; in addition to The Mist and The Majestic, he appeared in The Shawshank Redemption (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 Walking Dead's season two premiere and in a webisode, but both plans were discarded.

Production

Development

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' 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.

On October 25, 2011, AMC announced that it ordered a third season of The Walking Dead, saying, "Season two continues to deliver the strongest telecasts for any drama in basic cable history." On December 21, 2012, AMC announced that it picked up The Walking Dead for a fourth season.

On October 29, 2013, AMC renewed The Walking Dead for a fifth season, with Scott M. Gimple as showrunner. Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Alanna Masterson, and Andrew J. West, who portray Abraham, Eugene, Rosita, Tara and Gareth, were promoted to series regulars for the season. The season will have 16 episodes and it premiered on October 12, 2014. Seth Gilliam joins the cast as a new series regular, playing Father Gabriel Stokes, from the comics.

On October 7, 2014, AMC announced that a sixth season would be produced.

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, executive producer and creator of the comic book Robert Kirkman, co-executive producer Jack LoGiudice, consulting producer Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara, all of whom contributed to one episode each. Along with Darabont, who directed the pilot episode, the remaining five were directed by Michelle MacLaren, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Johan Renck, Ernest Dickerson and Guy Ferland. On December 1, 2010, Deadline.com 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 season two.

was brought onto The Walking Dead with the idea that Frank was going to work on the first season and then go off and do movies Chic didn't want to be second-in-command on a show when he's used to being a top dog, and so he decided to go off and do something else, which is something that happens and is not a big deal.

— Robert Kirkman, TV Guide

On December 3, 2010, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd commented: "It's completely inaccurate. the 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 just decided that he wants to run his own show." She revealed that it would be likely for the show 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 stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series. It was speculated that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series. However, The Hollywood Reporter reported he had been fired over disputes over planned budget cuts and executive meddling. Executive producer Glen Mazzara was then appointed the new showrunner. New writers joined the writing staff in the second season, including co-executive producer Evan Reilly, producer Scott M. Gimple, story editor Angela Kang, and David Leslie Johnson. New writers in the third season included producers Nichole Beattie and Sang Kyu Kim, with Frank Renzulli 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 season four, with new writers joining the writing staff, such as Curtis Gwinn, Channing Powell, and Matt Negrete.

Music

Bear McCreary 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.

It repeats over and over, and in fact in the pilot episode, you start hearing it before the main title begins, and this is something that continues episode to episode. You hear the main title music before the main title begins, so you know it's coming. That, to me, was the little hook – that little thing that, whenever you hear it, it takes you to the series.

— Bear McCreary

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 as a Walmart 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

Gregory Nicotero is an executive producer and the key special effects makeup artist on the series. Each walker is put through "zombie school" and is taught how to move like zombies. 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 mostly filmed in Georgia. The series is completely shot on 16 mm film. David Tattersall 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 designer Gregory Nicotero, special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam Nicholson and Jason Sperling.

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 and Hong Kong, and ending in Los Angeles for the U.S. premiere.

The show's official website released, just prior to the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, a motion comic based on Issue No. 1 of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr. 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 show executive producer Robert Kirkman as well as artist Charlie Adlard say they are pleased with how faithful the show 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, including Rick, Daryl and a zombie Walker and Biter, were created for release in November 2011. The figures, which are manufactured by McFarlane Toys, 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.

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 shows 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 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."

Webisodes

To date, three web series based on The Walking Dead have been released via AMC's website–Torn Apart in 2011, Cold Storage in 2012, and The Oath in 2013.

Talking Dead

A live after-show titled Talking Dead premiered on AMC on October 16, 2011, following the encore presentation of The Walking Dead's season two premiere. Talking Dead features host Chris Hardwick discussing the latest episode with fans, actors, and producers of The Walking Dead.

Fear the Walking Dead

In September 2013, AMC announced they were developing a companion series to The Walking Dead which follows a different set of characters created by Robert Kirkman. On March 9, 2015, AMC announced it had ordered the show to series, with a two-season commitment. The first season, consisting of six episodes, will premiere in late summer 2015. The show's title, Fear the Walking Dead, was revealed on March 27, 2015.

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 TV shows such as Saturday Night Live. Bad Lip Reading made a widely-viewed parody involving Rick and the Governor, entitled "La-Bibbida-Bibba-Dum". The series' cast was shown the parody at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, and David Morrissey—who 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?"

Release

Scenes from the pilot were screened July 23, 2010 as part of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. It premiered on AMC on October 31, 2010 and premiered internationally on Fox International Channels during the first week of November. The first season premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl on August 30, 2011. Almost two weeks before the official premiere on AMC, the pilot episode leaked online.

International broadcast rights for the show were sold and announced on June 14, 2010. The show 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.

Home media

The season 1 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 season 2 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 season 3 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 season 4 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.

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

All seasons of The Walking Dead have been well reviewed by television critics, including the first season, which received an average 92% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating based on 25 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes. That website's consensus states, "Blood-spattered, emotionally resonant, and white-knuckle intense, The Walking Dead puts an intelligent spin on the overcrowded zombie subgenre." Metacritic gave the first season a score of 82 out of 100 (based on 25 reviews). Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com included the show on their list of 9 new TV shows not to miss, giving it a grade of "A", with the author saying, "A film-quality drama series about zombies? Somebody pinch me!"

The second season received mostly positive reviews. It received an 86% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating out of 22 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critical 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." Out of 22 reviews on Metacritic, the second season received a score of 80 out of 100. Early criticism of the show 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" 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'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".

Season three received critical acclaim. Based on 30 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the third season of The Walking Dead received an average 93% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating; the website'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." It received a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 18 reviews. Verne Gay of Newsday claimed that the season 3 premiere "doesn't disappoint" going on to say that there are "spots where you will yell out at the screen, 'Oh, my God, that just didn't happen.' Yes, the new season is that good", concluding his review by giving the season an A+ rating.

The fourth season received very positive reviews. Based on 35 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, season 4 received an average 89% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating; the website'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 gave the fourth season a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 reviews.

The fifth season has received widespread critical acclaim. Based on 36 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, season 5 received an average 97% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating; the website'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 gave the fifth season a score of 80 out of 100 based on 11 reviews.

Ratings

Template:The Walking Dead ratings

Awards and nominations

The Walking Dead was nominated for Best New Series for the Writers Guild of America Awards 2011. It was nominated for Best Television Series Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards. It was also named during the American Film Institute Awards 2010 as one of the top 10 television programs of 2010. For the 37th Saturn Awards, the series received six nominations—for Best Television Presentation, Andrew Lincoln for Best Actor in Television, Sarah Wayne Callies 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 at the inaugural 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards. The pilot episode "Days Gone Bye" received three nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards—it was nominated 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 a Special.

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External links

• Official website
• The Walking Dead at IMDb
• The Walking Dead on Facebook
• Template:Tv.com show

v t e The Walking Dead franchise
Charlie Adlard Robert Kirkman Tony Moore
Comic books	The Walking Dead
Television series	The Walking Dead Episodes season 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Accolades Soundtrack Vol. 1 2 Fear the Walking Dead Episodes season 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Other series The Walking Dead: World Beyond Tales of the Walking Dead The Walking Dead: Dead City The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Aftershow Talking Dead episodes
Web series	The Walking Dead Torn Apart Cold Storage Fear the Walking Dead Flight 462
Video game series	Telltale series Season One Season Two Michonne A New Frontier The Final Season Skydance Interactive Saints & Sinners – Chapter 1 Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution Other games Survival Instinct Road to Survival No Man's Land Overkill's The Walking Dead Onslaught Survivors Destinies Crossovers Tekken 7 The Escapists Brawlhalla Fortnite Battle Royale Rogue Company Funko Fusion
Novels	Rise of the Governor The Road to Woodbury The Fall of the Governor, Part One and Two Invasion Search and Destroy Return to Woodbury
Rides	The Walking Dead: The Ride
Characters	Comic book series Aaron Alpha Jessie Anderson Andrea Beta Connie Dante Rosita Espinosa King Ezekiel Abraham Ford The Governor Gregory Hershel Greene Maggie Greene Carl Grimes Judith Grimes Lori Grimes Rick Grimes Lance Hornsby Dale Horvath Morgan Jones Lydia Magna Caesar Martinez Mercer Pamela Milton Paul "Jesus" Monroe Spencer Monroe Michonne Negan The Prisoners Carol Peletier Sophia Peletier Eugene Porter Princess Glenn Rhee Sherry Siddiq Stephanie Gabriel Stokes Shane Walsh Tyreese Yumiko Television series The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon Merle Dixon Elijah Enid Beth Greene Jadis Jerry Dawn Lerner Milton Mamet Lizzie and Mika Samuels Simon T-Dog Sasha Williams Fear the Walking Dead Alicia Clark Madison Clark Daniel Salazar Victor Strand Video game series Clementine Lee Everett
Category

v t e The Walking Dead episodes
Season 1	"Days Gone Bye" "Guts" "Tell It to the Frogs" "Vatos" "Wildfire" "TS-19"
Season 2	"What Lies Ahead" "Bloodletting" "Save the Last One" "Cherokee Rose" "Chupacabra" "Secrets" "Pretty Much Dead Already" "Nebraska" "Triggerfinger" "18 Miles Out" "Judge, Jury, Executioner" "Better Angels" "Beside the Dying Fire"
Season 3	"Seed" "Sick" "Walk with Me" "Killer Within" "Say the Word" "Hounded" "When the Dead Come Knocking" "Made to Suffer" "The Suicide King" "Home" "I Ain't a Judas" "Clear" "Arrow on the Doorpost" "Prey" "This Sorrowful Life" "Welcome to the Tombs"
Season 4	"30 Days Without an Accident" "Infected" "Isolation" "Indifference" "Internment" "Live Bait" "Dead Weight" "Too Far Gone" "After" "Inmates" "Claimed" "Still" "Alone" "The Grove" "Us" "A"
Season 5	"No Sanctuary" "Strangers" "Four Walls and a Roof" "Slabtown" "Self Help" "Consumed" "Crossed" "Coda" "What Happened and What's Going On" "Them" "The Distance" "Remember" "Forget" "Spend" "Try" "Conquer"
Season 6	"First Time Again" "JSS" "Thank You" "Here's Not Here" "Now" "Always Accountable" "Heads Up" "Start to Finish" "No Way Out" "The Next World" "Knots Untie" "Not Tomorrow Yet" "The Same Boat" "Twice as Far" "East" "Last Day on Earth"
Season 7	"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" "The Well" "The Cell" "Service" "Go Getters" "Swear" "Sing Me a Song" "Hearts Still Beating" "Rock in the Road" "New Best Friends" "Hostiles and Calamities" "Say Yes" "Bury Me Here" "The Other Side" "Something They Need" "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
Season 8	"Mercy" "The Damned" "Monsters" "Some Guy" "The Big Scary U" "The King, the Widow, and Rick" "Time for After" "How It's Gotta Be" "Honor" "The Lost and the Plunderers" "Dead or Alive Or" "The Key" "Do Not Send Us Astray" "Still Gotta Mean Something" "Worth" "Wrath"
Season 9	"A New Beginning" "The Bridge" "Warning Signs" "The Obliged" "What Comes After" "Who Are You Now?" "Stradivarius" "Evolution" "Adaptation" "Omega" "Bounty" "Guardians" "Chokepoint" "Scars" "The Calm Before" "The Storm"
Season 10	"Lines We Cross" "We Are the End of the World" "Ghosts" "Silence the Whisperers" "What It Always Is" "Bonds" "Open Your Eyes" "The World Before" "Squeeze" "Stalker" "Morning Star" "Walk with Us" "What We Become" "Look at the Flowers" "The Tower" "A Certain Doom" "Home Sweet Home" "Find Me" "One More" "Splinter" "Diverged" "Here's Negan"
Season 11	"Acheron: Part I" "Acheron: Part II" "Hunted" "Rendition" "Out of the Ashes" "On the Inside" "Promises Broken" "For Blood" "No Other Way" "New Haunts" "Rogue Element" "The Lucky Ones" "Warlords" "The Rotten Core" "Trust" "Rest in Peace"
Webisodes	Torn Apart Cold Storage The Oath Red Machete
Category

• 2010s
• Horror fiction

• 2010 American television series debuts
• 2010s American television series
• AMC (TV channel) network shows
• American drama television series
• English-language television programming
• American horror fiction television series
• Nonlinear narrative television series
• Post-apocalyptic television series
• Serial drama television series
• Television programs based on comics
• Television series by Entertainment One
• Television shows filmed in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Television shows set in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Television shows set in Virginia
• The Walking Dead
• Works by Frank Darabont
• Zombies in television
• Television series about viral outbreaks
• Discrimination in fiction