The Walking Dead Seasons Ranked Worst to Best
The Walking Dead used to be the hottest show on television in its peak. Midway through the show they once reached 17 million viewers. As one of my favorite shows, I wanted to rank the former powerhouse of AMC.
11. SEASON 10
I don’t have too much to write home on with the penultimate season of the show, as I don’t find it very memorable minus the great episode focused on Negan’s backstory and the end of the Whisperers storyline. 22 episodes REALLY dragged this season on and doesn’t have many memorable moments either.
10. SEASON 8
This is the season where the Walking Dead lost its way. Some say it happened the day Negan showed up or when Rick left. For me, it was when they killed Carl (blame Scott Gimple). Something that never happened in the comics appeared to happen just for shock value. Why on earth would you kill the heart of the show. It doesn't make any sense and isn’t even executed correctly. I mean seriously, one walker took him down after all of this?? Besides that issue, the whole “All Out War” storyline doesn’t live up to the hype whatsoever and that pretty much sums up the eighth outing.
9. SEASON 11
At this point, the show was down to about a quarter of the audience it had in the season five finale so the pressure to end well was not as large as it once was. I don’t love the Commonwealth storyline to be honest and it felt like they were just buying time until the series finale which I think catapults this season from the bottom. All of the characters get their deserved endings along with plenty of fan service to make a die-hard fan shed tears (as this writer did). However, they don’t know when to stop and have two MORE shows up and running to this day.
8. SEASON 7
“A Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” kicks off the season with a bang. This is one of the best episodes the universe has to offer. Unfortunately, it is just downhill from here (for the season and the show). Everything after Megan beats the piss out of Abraham and Glenn is just depressing and slow. Glenn was the show’s moral compass and Abraham gave the show some levity through his brashness and they are sorely missed. On the bright side, Ezekiel and the Kingdom’s introduction is done quite well even if they ruin most of the characters later on.
7. SEASON 2
Alright folks, onto the glory days of the show. Here, we get the season that takes place on the Herschel’s farm. things become hit or miss here, as there are classic episodes mixed in with snoozefests on the search for Sophia. This is really a showcase for Jon Bernthal’s Shane who carries this season with his full on heel turn. The slow burn into madness is great and his death scene is no different. We also get classic scenes like Sophia’s walker appearance, Dale’s goodbye, and the chaotic exit from the farm due to zombie infestation.
6. SEASON 5
Now we’re getting into to the good stuff. The peak of the show according to the audience is a little overrated for me personally but I understand the hype. I actually don’t really know where to start here as the entire season has so many iconic moments. While the hospital storyline is a waste of time, Beth’s death is an absolute gut punch. Same here goes for Noah’s grutesque demise due to Nicholas cowardice. To add onto the death frenzy here, Tyrese also dies but at least gets a more poetic ending. Those are all wild moments that don’t top the cherry on top that is the premiere. The shot-term Terminus arc full of cannibals is gnarly and Carol blowing it all up just like that made her a fan-favorite going forward.
5. SEASON 9
This is hopefully the only hot take on here, but I love season 9. The Whisperers are at their most menacing here and add onto the already great list of previous villains the show has included. Whether it was Jesus’ death out of nowhere as their introduction or the now legendary pike scene in the penultimate episode - they gave us insane moments and established themselves as an almost unbeatable threat also thanks to their huge horde. Rick’s exit also takes place here and it’s done well. However, the five-year time jump takes a lot of time to get used to especially without its lead actor.
4. SEASON 3
I’ll admit, season three takes some time to get going with the whole prison introduction and settling in. Once episode four hits, things hit the fan. Lori FINALLY has her baby but passes in the process leading to one of the best death reaction scenes in television thanks to Andrew Lincoln’s performance. this is the same episode where Herschel gets his leg amputated and T-Dog heroically dies saving Carol. It’s one of the best the show has to offer. Heading into the Woodbury storyline with the Governor, we get Merle’s return HEARTBREAKING death for a character just starting to become less of a terrible person. The governor himself is a good character that is better in the next season, but leads to some interesting stuff minus the whole Andrea relationship.
3. SEASON 1
Ahhh back to where it all started. It feels like an extremely long time since the show premiered in 2010 and I don’t exactly know how to feel about it. Nevertheless, some say the show never got better from here. I disagree, as there isn’t enough content for me to make that claim. The six episodes that we do get are an absolute rush though. We're introduced to future legends of the show that we grow to love. This season also leads into the horror aspect of the zombies and they are rarely more threatening than they are in the first installment. I do have trouble with Carl and Lori in this season as they are not made out to be very likable even if I understand why.
2. SEASON 6
While writing this article, my opinion actually changed on the fly as to what was the best Walking Dead season. When it came down to it, I realized that season six was just a touch below in quality. I mainly say this due to the writers insulting the audiences intelligence with yet another Glenn fake-out death. I love Glenn but at this point it’s a running joke within the fandom. Ignoring that, there is a lot to love. With the most consistently large viewership this season had, they had to keep the moment going despite Alexandria in theory being the safest place they could be. That turned out to be incredibly false, as we get both a walker and “wolves” invasion that allow all hell to break loose. Carl getting his comic arc of getting show in the madness of episode nine is one of the most stressful times in the show’s history. I wouldn't remised if I didn't mention the greatest villain intro with Negan’s epic monologue which actually topped the episode nine’s effort in suspense. Then, they decided to make it a cliffhanger for some reason….
SEASON 4
I battled between the final two spots for different reasons. If you want mayhem, then I think season six is for you. If you want great character moments, then four is the top pick. Season four for me is my guilty pleasure, specifically post-prison. Before I get to that, I must go back to the governor. He becomes vengeful as hell and literally brings a tank to destroy the prison like how sick is that? Herschel’s death is tragic but was only a matter of time in the episode where everybody ends ups scattered. That’s when we get Daryl’s time with Beth finally makes her a worthwhile and relatable person in a subdued episode focus on only them. We’re also introduced to Eugene and his crew with Glenn that makes for entertaining viewing. Then, Rick literally takes out a dudes jugular in one of the craziest things he does in his nine seasons. Last but not least: the look at the flowers episode. It doesn’t get much more fascinating and dark than Carol shooting Lizzie point blank for her behaviors.
