Summary
Considering the huge success of AMC’sThe Walking Dead, it was a surprise when fans learned that season 11 would be its last. From thebest villains on the popular showto theimportant character Beth Greene(Emily Kinney), it felt like the show could go on forever. After the premiere of the apocalyptic drama inOctober 2010,The Walking Deadbecame one of the most talked-about series ever, and it continues to generate buzz even several years after theNovember 2022 series finale.
Of course, every series has to end eventually, butThe Walking Deadfranchise is still going strong thanks to the many spin-offs. WhileThe Walking Deadseason 12 didn’t come to fruition, at least fans of both the comic book series and the AMC show can continue to watch fast-paced and compelling stories featuring these beloved characters.
The Walking Deadseason 12 didn’t happen because AMC decided to end the popular TV series. Asshowrunner Scott Gimplesaid in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, it was tough to wrap his mind around the show’s conclusion because “it all went by too fast.” He explained:
“This came out of conversations with AMC and ultimately they made this call, obviously. And so [The Walking Deadshowrunner] Angela Kang and I, thinking about it was … I don’t know, it’s incredibly heavy.”
Gimple also said:
“I mean, even though, like you said, we have all theseWalking Deadthings ahead, and even with so many of the people that we work with, and in fact I’m hoping it’s with most of the people in one direction or another withTales, Daryl and Carol, other stuff. I don’t know, it’s still incredibly heavy.”
AsThe Hollywood Reporternoted in November 2022, ratings forThe Walking Deaddipped as the series went on. While the season 6 finale had10 million viewers,same-day viewers dwindled to fewer than 2 million. AMC decided that there would be noThe Walking Deadseason 12 in September 2020. Besides lower ratings, the zombie apocalypse show was also pricey to make.
The announcement that there would benoThe Walking Deadseason 12came with news of several The Walking Dead spin-offs. The most notable spin-off isFear The Walking Dead, which fans continue to debate. There is also theprequelFear The Walking Dead: Dead in the Water, which came and went without much fanfare.
However, several years back, it seemed like those working on the series would have been happy to makeThe Walking Deadseason 12. According toIndieWire, producer David Alpert spoke at the PGA panel in 2014 and said:
“I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what season 10 is gonna be. We know where season 11 and 12…we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we’re lucky enough to get there.”
Inseason 11, episode 24ofThe Walking Dead, “Rest in Peace,” the main characters battle Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins), and Michonne Hawthorne (Danai Gurira) looks for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who is in the wilderness. Thanks to Pamela’s hold over the Commonwealth, the stakes have never been higher.
In a long-awaited battle scene, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) tells Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) that he is sorry that he murdered Glenn, her husband, which was a surprising moment considering that he is one of thebestThe Walking Deadvillains. After Daryl Dixon speaks his mind, the soldiers working for Pamela decide to support her enemies instead, and they let the characters inside the Estate. Pamela knows that the end is near for her when Mercer places her under arrest, but Pamela’s desire for Lance Hornsby, now a zombie, to kill her doesn’t work. Maggie saves the day by killing Lance and ensuring that Pamela will go to jail.
While the final episode of a popular TV series is always subjective and fans debate themost lackluster TV series finales, the series finale ofThe Walking Deaddid wrap the story up properly. While some might have liked to seeThe Walking Deadseason 12, the dinner scene in the series finale was moving as the main characters enjoyed spending time together before learning the sad news thatRosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) had been bitten. Maggie also talks about what comes next with Daryl and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), which makes sense sinceCarol will appear in theDaryl Dixon spin-off.
