It’s Time for AMC to Plan for the end of ‘The Walking Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead, and my reasons for sticking by this show through thick and thin are extensive to say the least. But in brief, the chance to finally have a big budget zombie television show on a major television network is a dream come true for me, since I grew up in an era where the living dead were relegated to the home video market and speaking of those types of films raised eyebrows in public, and really, all I ever wanted was for zombies to be cool, and thanks to this show, my wish was fulfilled in ways I never imagined.
 
For this series, not only brought the zombie out of the shadows, it created a revolution for the horror genre, one that made scary stories chic in every way imaginable and now, there’s few places that you can go where you don’t hear about this show or other zombie tales and that…brings a smile to my face every single time I think about how far we’ve come and I’m also incredibly honored to be able to sit here and geek out with all of you fine folks about this series on a weekly basis. But, while the show has drawn in tens of millions of viewers over the years and cemented itself as a pop culture icon, I would be a fool to not acknowledge the fact that this series is at quite the crossroads right now.
 
After all, the ratings have seen quite the dive over the past couple of years and some major names have exited the show, and there are more to come since it was recently announced that Danai Gurira plans to leave The Walking Dead at the end of season ten. And the more time I’ve had to think about these changes and the fact that more than likely others will leave in years to come as well, I’ve finally come to a conclusion in my mind that the time has come for AMC to plan for the end of this storied and magnificent series, for several reasons, the first being that the series has an opportunity to go out on top and on its own terms.
 
Because the worst possible mistake any particular series can make, is to overstay its welcome and get to the point where it is producing tired episodes that disengage the audience. Now, the show is nowhere near that particular point right now, because the writing is fantastic this year and the Whisperers storyline has been genuinely creepy. But if we are looking at another ten years of this show, it runs the risk of going that route. But, if showrunner Angela King and the Writer’s Room knew where they were headed, they could take their skills and pour it into a multi-year send-off that blows fans away, leaving everyone hungry for more and truly allowing for the show to leave the airwaves in its own unique style, lending further credence to its legacy as a pioneering story. 

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​If anything, planning for a finale now, also allows for the series to do something it’s never had the opportunity to do before; try something 100% completely original with its characters. For while we have been treated to some powerful and stunning moments over the past nine years, everything we’ve ever seen on the series somehow relates to the comic book series that the show is sourced from and being free from the comic would allow for some powerful storytelling to take place, where the series explores concepts its never been able to explore before and oddly enough, we’ve received a taste of what that might look like by way of this show’s sister series, Fear the Walking Dead. Because that spinoff has taken us to new and exciting places storytelling wise, since its only real ties to the source material are the dead and a handful of original characters and even with the addition of Morgan in season four (and Dwight arrives in Texas this year), the stories have found new heights to travel to since Morgan is also free of the comic’s restraints.
 
Plus, another solid reason for the series to plan its exit is because, how this franchise is going to look in the future has already been decided. For Scott Gimple announced earlier this year on Talking Dead that two-hour movies featuring Rick Grimes and potentially other characters that have made their exit, will explore more when it comes to this universe, as will a few, limited serial stories and well…that’s just brilliant. Because it allows for the audience to see a big budget, quality zombie apocalypse from a global view, and it allows for more stories to be told and if the original series has stepped aside, the next generation of stories told in a world of the dead will not have a the specter of the pilot series hanging over their head and what they bring to the table can be properly appreciated.
 
However, don’t get me wrong. The hardcore fan within would love nothing more than to see this series continue on year after year, but that’s simply not a realistic expectation. The only way that can happen, is by way of the comic, where the characters aren’t played by actors who have career goals in mind and families and lives to live, and where ratings aren’t a concern. And considering the fact that there is seemingly no end in sight for the comic either, the adventures of Rick Grimes will continue along in print, but now is the right time to begin a grand farewell for this storied series so that it goes out like a champ, and is fondly remembered by its fans instead of wearing out its welcome, and I really do hope that AMC does the right thing and begins planning for the farewell tour so that new chapters in The Walking Dead universe can carry its flame for years to come by way of exciting, smaller vignettes that leave us in awe…   

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