the walking dead

It’s been an exceptionally punishing year for fans of The Walking Dead, who first endured the cop-out of Negan’s entrance, a summer spent waiting, and about eight episodes since of misery under The Saviors’ reign. Rick will finally fight back when Season 7 returns in February, and Andrew Lincoln insists “There’s a lot more levity, if you can believe that.”

Live ratings for The Walking Dead may have taken a slight tumble in Season 7, but that isn’t stopping AMC from envisioning decades of story ahead. Creator Robert Kirkman too maintains the endless nature of the comics, though new comments suggest AMC might be gaining on the comics’ lead by the time Season 12 rolls around.

Considering Game of Thrones began its 2016 run with one of the series’ biggest reveals to date, and closed out the final 10-episode season with a hearty tease for summer 2017, is it any wonder the series continues to dominate the year’s most pirated TV? See what else made the list, including your next HBO obsession, and surprising entry from the comic world.

Good news for one franchise might be grim for another, as CBS’ Star Trek: Discovery has found its lead on The Walking Dead. Sonequa Martin-Green will beam up as the central character of CBS’ new Trek venture, the first in the franchise to be led by an African-American woman.

Even as The Walking Dead keeps Carl alive as a symbol of hope for the future, it stands to reason Chandler Riggs will eventually leave the series behind. That prospect got more immediate with word Riggs would soon be attending college, for which the Walking Dead star says of the balancing act “It wouldn’t be easy but I think that could be possible.”

It’s safe to say that the addition of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan to The Walking Dead has been a controversial one; strong actor, but in a role weighing on viewers. Morgan has time yet to flesh out Negan’s nuances, confirming not only his return for Season 8, but also explaining some of the mysterious leaks that cropped up around his entrance.

AMC isn’t one to look a rotting gift horse like The Walking Dead in the mouth, extending its highest-rated series so long as creator Robert Kirkman provides comic source material. That relationship doesn’t necessarily extend both ways, however, as Kirkman acknowledges AMC has zero input or foreknowledge of any potential story shakeups.

The Walking Dead broke with its usual habit of super-sized premieres, going only six or so minutes past the hour for Season 7 return “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be.” We may yet get our 90-minute episode after all, however, as an upcoming hour featuring one of Negan’s biggest moments has been extended to 85 minutes.

This past Sunday’s second entry into The Walking Dead Season 7 swung considerably more positive, to say nothing introducing King Ezekiel’s friggin’ pet tiger into the mix. We’ve known for sometime that Shiva would serve as a combination of animatronics and CGI, but see for yourself in this behind-the-scenes look at Sunday’s “The Well.”

It’s early enough into The Walking Dead Season 7 that we don’t yet know how the major story will unfold in the wake of Negan’s rampage. That said. AMC’s flagship hit is already looking forward to Season 8, as Max Steel star Maria Bello has “apparently” secured a role in The Walking Dead’s 2017 season.

There’s been a bit of back-and-forth surrounding Negan’s victims from last night’s Walking Dead premiere, as some suggested they’d yet to choose the big death before this summer, while cast have claimed to know even longer. Now that the truth is finally splattered out in the open, showrunner Scott M. Gimple and creator Robert Kirkman say the doomed pair was chosen years in advance.

All summer long, Walking Dead fans have waited (some more patiently than others) to find out who suffered Negan’s bat in the Season 6 finale. At long last, Season 7 has officially arrived, and with it came not one, but two victims fallen to Lucille! Find out who bit the big one in Sunday’s premiere!