Every ‘The Walking Dead’ Season, Ranked

Despite several spin-offs starring many fan-favorite characters, The Walking Dead eventually said farewell after 12 years and 11 seasons on AMC. Within those 11 seasons, the series saw dozens of cast members come and go, couples break up and make up, and hundreds of walkers killed in unique and gory ways. With the number of seasons that it aired, it kept fans and critics entertained for a gigantic 12 years. It’s known as one of the most popular television series of all time.

Some seasons will always be memorable – like Season 1 for starting it all and Season 7 merely for its season premiere – while other seasons didn’t always meet expectations – like Season 5 for killing off a beloved character and Season 10 for Negan and Alpha’s unexpected moment in the woods. The Walking Dead‘s many seasons ranked make it easy to see which ended up being the worst and best of the beloved series.

11

Season 5 (2014–2015)

Image via AMC Studios

Season 5 finally brings Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group to the beloved Alexandria, but not before Carol’s (Melissa McBride) redemption and Beth’s (Emily Kinney) shocking death, and the introduction of Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), who would go on to become an essential member of the group. The inclusion of Alexandria in the series was a shift to be sure, but nothing that fans of The Walking Dead weren’t already used to. It’s commonly regarded as not being as special or unique as the Prison, for example.

This season saw several deaths of characters old and new, including Beth, Noah (Tyler James Williams), Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman), and Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.). The season also only featured one named character, Joan (Keisha Castle-Hughes), who died and was reanimated as a zombie. It ends with the timely return of Rick’s original partner in crime, Morgan (Lennie James), who reunites with the gang and has recovered from the deaths of his wife and son – it’s a scenario that changed Rick forever.

10

Season 3 (2012–2013)

Image via AMC

Season 3 gave viewers the balance of Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) badass arrival and The Governor’s (David Morrissey) evil ways while welcoming another brand-new character into Rick’s group, just as a leading one said goodbye and an old friend returned and revealed his devastating story. This is the first season to be rated TV-MA, with every season after also receiving this rating. The season was found to be the most violent show on television in 2012, with over 300 dead bodies shown throughout the first eight episodes of the season.

Primarily taking place in the prison, Rick and Carl (Chandler Riggs) faced one of their most devastating moments yet when Lori gave birth to Judith, only to die in the process, forcing Carl to take out his mother before she could turn into a walker in the season’s most remembered moment. This would go on to forever change Carl’s character moving forward and inform most of his major decisions in the coming seasons. As Carl exits and Rick realizes what happened to not just his wife, but his son, he breaks down, and it is easily one of the most tear-jerking moments in the show.

9

Season 9 (2018–2019)

Image via AMC

Season 9 was tough for characters and fans alike when fan-favorite cast member Andrew Lincoln left the show, and Rick Grimes was presumed dead after being injured and taken away in a helicopter by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh). Despite several other characters taking the reins upon his seeming death, this is the first season where Daryl appears in every episode, a prominent piece of the show was missing upon Lincoln’s leave. Lincoln wasn’t the only regular who departed; seven other characters were either killed off or written off the show.

This season also introduced the infamous Alpha (Samantha Morton), Beta (Ryan Hurst), and The Whisperers, and unforgettably offed a slew of major characters—including Tara (Alanna Masterson), Enid (Katelyn Nacon), and Henry (Macsen and Matt Lintz)—by decapitating them and letting their reanimated heads sit on sticks for the group to find. Season 9 was one of the big changes for the series and cemented itself as one of the more controversial seasons of the series. Some had little issue with Rick’s departure, as it offered more time for other characters who typically didn’t get as much screen time. Others found it hard to enjoy, though, as losing the show’s primary protagonist can be quite difficult and makes for a strange shift in the status quo.

8

Season 4 (2013–2014)

Image via AMC

Season 4 debuted three core characters—Rosita (Christian Serratos), Eugene (Josh McDermitt), and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz)—while also saying farewell to the beloved character Hershel (Scott Wilson) when The Governor memorably beheaded the patriarch with Michonne’s katana. Many note this as one of the hardest deaths to watch in the entire series, as Hershel was a fan-favorite.

This season also saw the development of Daryl and Beth’s friendship, the dangerous and deadly Terminus, and the most gruesome moment of the entire season: when Carol instructed young Lizzie to look at the flowers to kill her due to the child’s murderous tendencies and obsession with walkers. Season 4 was also the first season to have a censored episode in which Rick says the F-word at the end of episode 16.

7

Season 11 (2021–2022)

Image via AMC

Season 11 was TWD‘s longest season, including a total of 24 episodes, making up three parts spanning over a year. This season both introduced and took down The Commonwealth and its villainous leaders while wrapping up several characters’ storylines. This season was the first and only to be shot entirely with digital cameras; the others used mainly film.

As everyone knows, when The Walking Dead taketh, The Walking Dead giveth. By the final episode, the group lost the major character of Rosita while also gaining Eugene’s new daughter, Rosie. While nothing about the outbreak was resolved in the finale, it did set up Daryl’s spin-off, saw Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) leave on seemingly different adventures, and let viewers in on where both Rick and Michonne had been just in time for their upcoming miniseries. While there are many that weren’t fully satisfied with how the series ended, everyone can agree that it wrapped up the major plot lines and left enough open, so the show could conclude rewardingly.

6

Season 8 (2017–2018)

Image via AMC

The premier episode of this season marked the 100th episode of The Walking Dead. After the previous season saw the gruesome deaths of Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham, Season 8 didn’t hold back when it ended the All-Out War before Rick’s group and Negan, not only saying goodbye to Shiva but to another long-time fan favorite: Carl Grimes.

It is commonly known that nobody is safe in The Walking Dead universe, but people would be lying if they said they didn’t think certain characters were at least some form of “safe”. Carl Grimes was one of those characters for many. Tragic and unexpected, Carl’s final moments are spent with Rick and Michonne, sharing his hopes for the future, including even Negan as part of their community, before finally pulling the trigger before he can fully succumb to his walker bite.

5

Season 7 (2016–2017)

Image via AMC

Season 7 may not be a season full of high points, but it was one to remember. After Negan’s arrival with his iconic bat in Season 6, he took his villainy to the next level in the season premiere when he brutally murdered Glenn and Abraham with his infamous barbed-wire bat, Lucille. Of all the moments in the series, this combo-death scene to kick off the season is arguably one of, if not the most, infamous. From the very first season, Glenn was an absolute fan favorite. Not to mention Abraham, who had been introduced a bit later than Glenn, but still had a significant impact on the fan base.

This is the first season that doesn’t feature Rick as the main focus of every episode, and it’s actually Rosita who got the most screen time this season, with 11 episodes to Rick’s 10. Setting the tone for a grim season to come, the rest of Season 7 added Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Jerry, Shiva, and Jadis to the mix. The season found Rick and his group reuniting with Morgan, while Sasha made the ultimate sacrifice to try to take down Negan in a harrowing posthumous moment.

4

Season 2 (2011–2012)

Image via AMC

After the smash hit that was Season 1, Season 2 had a lot to live up to when it came to following up on such a great start to this long-lived story. The second season took the twists and turns of Season 1 and upped them a notch, starting with the season premiere’s cliffhanger that left Carl’s young life in the balance. This storyline set up the rest of the season when it came to shockers, starting with Rick and Shane’s (Jon Bernthal) showdown that left the latter dead. Seeing these two former friends go head-to-head over the wild drama that has separated them is a highlight of the entire show.

Aside from introducing The Greenes to the show and being the starting point of Maggie and Glenn’s relationship, the most remembered and overall best moment of the season came when Rick’s group opened Hershel’s walker-infested barn. Inside, he would come to find Carol’s missing daughter, who had turned into one as well. It’s heartbreaking and shocking all at once.

3

Season 10 (2019–2020)

Image via AMC

While Season 10 saw the conclusion to the Alpha, Beta, and Whisperers storyline—ending with Daryl and Negan working together to off both Beta and Alpha—this season is remembered for more important moments, starting with Maggie’s unexpected return. Her comeback was one for the books, as for some time, many were unsure if she’d ever make a return to the series. Lauren Cohan is a wonderful actress who is praised across the board for her portrayal of Maggie in the series, so to have her come back was a great addition to the primary cast.

But Season 10 remains unique in how it ended with six episodes centered around different characters, including Princess’ break from reality in episode 20 and Daryl and Carol’s pilot-like episode that follows the ups and downs of their friendship. But it’s the final episode of the season that remains unforgettable for taking viewers back to pre-outbreak times and diving into Negan Smith’s backstory, how his wife Lucille died, and what made him the villain he grew to be.

2

Season 6 (2015–2016)

Image via AMC

Season 6 will forever be remembered as the season that brought Jeffrey Dean Morgan into the world of The Walking Dead. Morgan’s character Negan remains the worst villain in the show’s history, and it all started with the Season 6 finale when he taunted Rick’s group with his bat as he decided whose life to end. Morgan absolutely destroys the scene he’s in and makes his mark on The Walking Dead. The ending of Season 6 is, by far, the biggest and wildest cliffhanger in the entire series.

But that wasn’t the only thrilling moment of the season. In a season full of shoot-outs and walker kills, the Season 6 midseason finale took a particularly shocking turn when Jessie allows herself to be devoured by walkers after her youngest son is eaten, while Carl’s showdown with Ron ends with Carl getting his eye shot out.