Undead
had an incredible run of 11 seasons, but not all seasons were created equally. The popular series premiered on AMC in 2010, adapting a post-apocalyptic horror comic written by Robert Kirkman with art by Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. The series rejuvenated the zombie genre, with a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse and a story focused on a small group of determined survivors.
From the start, Rick Grimes becomes a natural leader, having spent his life as a deputy sheriff before the outbreak. When he woke up from his coma, he discovered that the world he knew was a thing of the past. As the series develops, new characters, groups, and rivals are introduced, and the show continues to evolve until the end, but some seasons have been huge hits, while others are best left in the past.
11
The Walking Dead – Season 10
By the end of the series, the show was losing steam. Almost all of the original characters were gone, replaced by people who only joined in the last few seasons, and even familiar and favorite characters weren't acting like themselves. Characters make terrible or just plain weird choices, and tension feels absent. With the entire season divided into three parts, it also felt underwhelming, which was a far cry from the tension and excitement of previous seasons.
There were some bright spots, with Negan's infiltration of the Whisperer's redemption arc and the tense story that unfolds between Carol and Ezekial, but overall, the entire season felt slow. It eventually introduces the antagonists for the final season, but without a clear focus and direction, the show was ready to be retired, and season 10 made that abundantly clear.
10
The Walking Dead – Season 8
Undead Season 8 brings many defining moments to the series, but that doesn't make them good moments. After nearly a decade of grooming Carl to be Rick's replacement and a new leader for the community while Rick's mental state was in decline, Carl ends up bitten by a Walker in the show's most disheartening moment. Unlike the intense deaths suffered by other heroes in the series, it felt like an insult to the character, and wasn't even part of the original plan, or the comics that inspired the series.
Additionally, there are other moments that could have been truly epic and full of mature storytelling moments, like the return of Morales from Season 1, but those moments were cut short. The writing felt tired and the creativity dried up. While charismatic characters like Negan helped keep the audience engaged and Maggie's journey as a leader was interesting, the season felt hollower than many others and really let down the quality that had been sustained up to that point.
9
The Walking Dead – Season 9
Season 9 had a pacing problem in the second half, but there were some genuine positives and intriguing developments throughout the season that made it stand out. Maggie's hostile takeover of Hilltop from the cowardly leader Gregory, Rick's efforts to save his community and sacrifice himself when they finally reached a point of stability, and the introduction of the Whisperers were all compelling story arcs.
While some of these details took several episodes to reveal when they seemed like they could be explored in one or two episodes, there were strong performances, big reveals, and incredible twists. Undead Season 9 may not be the best of them, but it was far from being the worst. Although the six-year time jump in the middle also seemed bizarre, only to be followed by a series of episodes that took their time to reveal the events of a single day.
8
The Walking Dead – Season 11
Aside from the biggest complaint about this season at the top, it essentially served as a way to announce new spin-offs. The final episode essentially offers a trailer for some of these projects, which greatly impedes the idea of the story's ending and makes the resolution unsatisfying. But beyond that, despite only having Carol and Daryl in the first season, the rest of the cast really tried hard to make the final outing compelling.
Characters like Judith, Eugene, Rosita, Mercer, and others made the season what it is and gave meaning to the Commonwealth despite their incredibly late introduction. Seeing a world being rebuilt and then exploring the cracks in society as people greedily accumulate power and status was compelling, and the way these stories unfold and resolve felt strong. There were definitely areas for improvement, but it was a solid season of Undead.
7
The Walking Dead – Season 4
Returning to season 4, when the group was still in prison, the conflict with the Governor and his people comes to an explosive end. Relationships are developing quickly, and seeing romance blossom for characters like Glenn and Maggie is a small ray of hope in an otherwise desolate hellscape. However, with the prison unsecured, the group heads to Terminus.
The road is long and there are many conflicts along the way, including Beth being captured by a group of strangers. It's also at this point that Carol transforms from a quiet, soft-spoken woman who was a mother and wife, into someone who will survive whatever it takes. These developments are powerful, but the season felt a little slow and disjointed compared to others.
6
The Walking Dead – Season 7
Season 7 shook the show in a way it would never recover from. After an epic cliffhanger, it is revealed that the new antagonist, Negan, brutally and savagely murdered Glenn in front of his beloved pregnant wife, Maggie. Rick's spirit is completely broken, and with Rick submitting to his new master's will, it's up to the others to step up and fight back. Carl comes to life, Maggie develops a burning hatred that will shine for years to come, and some of the most interesting new characters of recent years are finally introduced.
Ezekiel and the others in the Kingdom are brought into the fold as they are another community that has been strong-armed into a deal with Negan and the Saviors. However, Ezequiel manages his community very differently. The politics of warring communities also make this season stand out, as up until now, Rick and his group of survivors have mostly struggled to simply move forward and resist small enemy groups. Now entire communities are revealed and it's an incredibly exciting development.
5
The Walking Dead – Season 5
Season 5 is full of big developments. This season, Carol destroys the Terminus community, sees the group trying to retrieve Beth from the hospital, which ends up going tragically wrong with the young girl's death and characters like Eugene being exposed for their lies about a cure. Additionally, it also introduces Alexandria to the survivors.
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One word to describe this entire season is “tense,” because from beginning to end, the survivors face impossible challenges and try to find their way. All of the individual arcs are given adequate space to develop, and the show follows a series of strong entries that keep audiences coming back. However, it marks a major shift in how the series works after this point, with the survivors turning into colonists.
4
The Walking Dead – Season 3
In season 3, Undead was still establishing how the world works, with Rick and his group of survivors trying to find a home and create the best life possible despite the world having ended. They set up shop in a prison, and a pregnant Lori gives everyone hope for a future beyond this apocalypse. However, the season also features intense struggles with the governor and his people in the reclaimed town of Woodbury.
The Governor is intense, mysterious and, despite his charismatic personality, there is something very dark about the man people consider a hero. The Survivors are forced to become just that, as they learn how to operate in a world where the rules have not yet been rewritten. Characters like Michonne are introduced, and the show moves forward with promises of much more to come.
3
The Walking Dead – Season 6
Undead Season 6 is by far the best season of the series' second half, as it features some of the most compelling stories and sees Rick's group integrate with the people of Alexandria. Rick and his friends struggle to adapt to community life and take time to develop confidence. In the meantime, they have plenty of opportunities to prove how invaluable they will be to the rest of the community.
It's great to see the gang experiencing some levels of normalcy, and Rick trying to become a father, as his family with Michonne and the kids gives him more to live for and fight for than ever before. This season shows a bright ray of hope for some kind of future, and it's portrayed beautifully. And, in tradition TWD style, just as things start to look up, everything comes crashing down with the introduction of Negan at the end of the season.
2
The Walking Dead – Season 1
For many, the first season of Undead stands out as the best, and there's a lot to praise about the debut season. Rick wakes up and the world has completely changed. He works hard to find any trace of familiarity and makes a connection with another survivor, Morgan, and his son. Eventually, he finds his people, and this leads to a tense reunion with his wife, Lori, and his best friend, Shane.
The tension is real, the characters are established, and wildly different individuals have to form a pseudo-family in hopes of surviving close to certain death. The series couldn't have had a better introduction and does a fantastic job of building the individual characters and creating opportunities for drama in the future. However, this season is purely about survival and so there is little room to delve into the relationships between the characters, but it did incredibly well with the space it had.
1
The Walking Dead – Season 2
But ultimately, this is why Season 2 should take the crown as the best season overall. Yes, crucial deaths happen in Season 1, but the true essence of the story appears in Season 2. The survivors find Hershel's farm, and despite having seen the walkers, Hershel and his people are still trying to operate like the world did not. it ended. Glenn grows closer to Maggie, and the conflict between Shane and Rick reaches a boiling point.
The world has ended, and while people like Carol, Hershel, and others have suffered enormous losses, season two sees that loss sink in even further, as the farm is lost and the survivors are forced to kill loved ones walkers. This season also forces Rick to truly become a leader and make difficult decisions that will keep his people alive, even if it doesn't always make them happy or comfortable. An excellent season Undead which truly stands out as the best of the best.