The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead has returned for 2018, at last confirming that huge death hanging over the series. The moment also had the unexpected side-effect of dismissing a huge time-jump from the comics, but producers say “Old Man Rick” and a major status quo update may still take place.

It’s starting to feel like The Walking Dead itself may have been bitten. Star Lauren Cohan recently went out for pilots in a likely bid to renegotiate her Walking Dead contract, but has now officially signed to a new series over displeasure with AMC’s offers.

The Walking Dead has tried and failed to get one over on fans before, but might be close to its biggest trick yet. According to creator Robert Kirkman, the show’s imminent and most shocking demise might not be so fatal after all. Slim hope, but we’ll take it.

We’re accustomed to death on The Walking Dead, and doubly-so when the comics provide a road map. That’s what made that climactic bite in Sunday’s midseason finale such a shocker, and – before you ask – both producers and the actor in question confirm the character’s exit, noting “[That bite] is a one-way ticket.”

The Walking Dead rarely leaves any one thread dangling too long, but its latest return might be the series’ biggest surprise yet. Sunday’s “The Damned” brought a major blast from the past for Rick, and might just change the game going forward.

Before ‘The Walking Dead’ begins anew with Season 8, we look back on some of the series’ worst deaths and most ignominious ends over the first seven years.

The Walking Dead has reached an age where AMC must naturally consider an endpoint, or at least where stars might jump ship. Even Rick might leave this world behind at some point, and both Andrew Lincoln and showrunners are already considering the possibility.

Considering The Walking Dead’s reverence for the comics, fans weren’t entirely surprised Season 8 might tease a certain time-jump ahead. The trailer seemed to suggest as much, but star Andrew Lincoln cryptically hints “It’s an older Rick … that means that it’s in the future.”

It’s easy to chalk up ex-Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont’s legal battles with AMC to growing pains, but it’s something else when all Walking Dead producers turn on the network. AMC has been slapped with lawsuits from Robert Kirkman, Gale Ann Hurd, David Alpert and Glen Mazzara, all alleging similar profit-scheming.

Any fan of The Walking Dead knew changes were coming with the war against Negan, though the Season 8 trailer seemingly spoiled a major twist ahead. Or perhaps not, as Robert Kirkman teases Season 8’s October premiere will introduce us to the older Rick glimpsed in the footage.

The Walking Dead isn’t generally known for practical stunts, but with Season 8 gearing up for “All Out War,” it stands to reason physical action would increase. As such, the unfortunate hospitalization of stuntman John Bernecker has necessitated Season 8 production take a temporary hiatus.

It’s tough to say whether The Walking Dead is set in its ways, or might surprise us in Season 8’s “All Out War.” Either way, at least one notable tweak is in order, as showrunner Scott Gimple says Season 8 will address a long-running fan complaint over the series’ pacing.