The popularity of “The Walking Dead” was almost mythical at it’s peak. The show completely dominated ratings and the social media conversation. TWD is what got the first Binge Rampage channel started, so it’s a universe we deeply care about even though we have to acknowledge the franchises fall from grace. The show was at it’s strongest of course with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) leading the pack of survivors. Rick’s return was so highly anticipated that it kept the series alive for 3 more seasons with many viewers holding onto hope for Rick to return. ‘The Ones Who Live’ was the biggest budget TWD show ever, but it ended too quickly and didn’t really have all the elements of what made “The Walking Dead” great in the first place.
With ‘Daryl Dixon’ currently shooting season 4 in Spain and ‘Dead City’ season 3 shooting in Boston, the universe still has irons in the fire, but soon the spin-offs will also have run their course. Andrew Lincoln gave fans a morsel of something to hope for in an episode of the BBC talk show “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” during an interview. Although the TWD OG was there to promote a new stage show he was working on, Lincoln briefly gave some details about the series he’s most well know for. Lincoln, of course had his standard comments about how much fun he had making the show, but when asked if he’d ever go back,, the actor said: “…there’s a conversation happening right now.” before changing the subject. He’s a man of few words, but that’s a very exciting sentence from the guy who carried TWD on his shoulders to the top of the ratings mountain.
‘The Ones Who Live’ was the biggest budget TWD show ever, but it ended too quickly and didn’t have all the elements of what made “The Walking Dead” great in the first place.”
Lincoln’s one sentence got longtime fans who have given up on the show coming out of the woodwork to speculate as to when and how Rick might come back. Some think it may be just a button scene at the end of ‘Daryl Dixon’ season 4 when Daryl and Carol make it back to America. Others think this is a sure sign that AMC is going back to what works and reviving “The Walking Dead” for a 12th season. We think there could be a ‘TWD: Apocalypse’ type series that brings back all of the fan-favorite characters and locations for some type of last battle to save humanity, but maybe a season 12 is the most likely option.
It’s also possible that Rick could end up on the opposite sides of a battle where Daryl, Maggie, Ezekiel, Carol and the rest of the gang are up against him. This turn of events would be similar to how Michonne was at odds with Rick’s group in the beginning of ‘TOWL’. The CRM did setup a possible endgame scenario, when General Beale (Terry O’Quinn) gave humanity only 14 years to survive. Beale also talked about herds a million strong that haven’t been dealt with yet, a frightening thought for TWD’s younger generation. Could the info Rick learned in ‘TOWL’ spark a new quest to save the country and/or planet? As Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) has been flown back to the Commonwealth (fingers crossed), the question arises: who was there to receive him and how will Laurent be put to use? It does seem that some seeds have been sown for an apocalyptic final conflict between humanity and the walkers.
As ‘Dead City’ is still chugging along and signing high-profile actors like Jimmi Simpsons, it’s tough to say where/when that storyline might end up. With the series plagued by low ratings and harsh critic scores – there’s no guarantee they’ll get beyond season 3, but is GImple finally connecting the series to the greater TWD Universe in meaningful ways? Will we ever find out about the PPP cards? Is there any faction of the CRM that wants revenge on RIck? Negan and Maggie’s truce is not likely to last long and Hershel may also end up playing a more villain adjacent role towards the end of the series.
In the comics, Hershel wasn’t really a good dude when he grew up, but it was in a mostly harmless way, could the live-action Hershel end up becoming a major murderer? It would be amazing to see the entire TWD team in Alexandria, the Commonwealth, etc. get back together for one final ride. Who doesn’t wonder about how Eugene is doing as a new dad? Or what kind of bro trips Aaron and Gabe have been taking? Jerry must have 20 kids by now!
Hopefully we get more details revealed at New York Comic Con, but it’s likely we won’t hear anymore newsworthy details about Lincoln’s return until San Diego Comic Con next summer. The spin-offs can’t keep the universe alive forever, so hopefully AMC and Gimple make some magic happen and give fans an official announcement in a timely manner and the franchise can try to start reviving it’s slowly dying fanbase.
What do you think? Will Rick really return? Or are we just going to wait forever for a short cameo like the TWD finale? How long can ‘Dead City’ go on? Will we ever get the digital only season 2 of “Tales of the Walking Dead”? Will Laurent be the key to saving TWD’s universe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
