The Walking Dead Franchise Never Recovered After Losing This One Character

When The Walking Dead lost its main character in season 9, the show drastically changed. A harsh reality of watching the earlier Walking Dead seasons is that Rick Grimes is indispensable. The show was better when it put Rick's character arc at the center of the story, but season 9 saw Rick taken away by a mysterious helicopter, only returning briefly for the finale.

After playing Rick for eight years, Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead so he could spend more time with his family in the UK without filming in Atlanta for months at a time. Unfortunately for the show, the character dynamics were no longer the same without the presence of Rick, whose absence was felt in both the original show and the many Walking Dead spinoffs.

Rick Grimes Was The Heart Of The Walking Dead

Rick's journey is one of the few that we see from the beginning. After waking from a coma in the hospital, his transition from a clean-cut sheriff to a post-apocalyptic leader defines the series. It is understandable that a game-changing The Walking Dead episode that changed the franchise centered on Rick, as he was the heart of the show.

Rick's Absence Made The Spinoffs Worse

Rick may not appear in all The Walking Dead spinoffs, but his presence is felt more than it needs to be. While the shows strengthened the franchise's worldbuilding by referencing each other, regularly bringing up Rick Grimes overshadowed the other stories, especially when his own story had not been completed. No spinoff suffers more from Rick's departure than Daryl Dixon.

The crossbow-wielding survivalist Daryl is one of The Walking Dead's most iconic characters, but the character could not carry his own spinoff, which audiences gave a 52% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. Daryl and Rick brought out the best in each other, and the speculation around their possible reunion in the final Daryl Dixon season feels more important at times than the spinoff.

The Walking Dead's Rick & Michonne Spinoff Proved How Much The Franchise Needed Rick Grimes

The Walking Dead has some forgettable characters, but we were invested in Rick's story. When he returned to film the spinoff, The Ones Who Live, it was the ending and resolution that viewers had been waiting for as he reunited with Michonne and his family. The Ones Who Live's Rotten Tomatoes score includes the only positive audience rating aside from the original show.

The Walking Dead Should Have Killed Rick And Ended With The Time Jump

There are many successful TV shows in which a dead character plays a prominent role, including Dexter (Harry Morgan) and Game of Thrones (Ned Stark). This works because that character's story is over, despite their memory inspiring others. Killing Rick would have allowed the show to work with this, rather than allowing his unfinished story to hang over the franchise.

The Walking Dead's upcoming spinoffs prove the franchise is far from over. If the original show had ended with Rick's death and the time jump in which we see Judith following in his footsteps, this could have set up an exciting new angle. Judith and RJ could have led a later spinoff, without the endless waiting for Rick to appear again.

The Next Walking Dead Spinoff Could Redeem The Franchise

More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe is going to be a short-form series for AMC, featuring the backstory of familiar characters as well as new ones. The previous season, Tales of the Walking Dead, was an anthology series of standalone stories, and while it is The Walking Dead's most forgotten spinoff, it is the best chance to redeem the franchise.

More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe must not feature Rick Grimes, and the episodes must quickly establish where they take place in The Walking Dead timeline. There is plenty of potential in the zombie apocalypse genre, and The Walking Dead was often a masterclass in character development. However, in order to continue, the franchise must finally lay Rick Grimes to rest.