TV SERIES · 2010–2022 · USA
The Walking Dead
- Created by
- Frank Darabont
- Network
- AMC
- Seasons
- 11
- Episodes
- 177
- Studio
- AMC Studios, Circle of Confusion, Valhalla Motion Pictures
31 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (31)
- #001
The remaining episodes of The Walking Dead's first season started filming on June 2, 2010, with Frank Darabont serving as showrunner.
- #002
The Walking Dead's first season writing staff included series developer and executive producer Frank Darabont, executive producer Charles H. Eglee, executive producer and comic book creator Robert Kirkman, co-executive producer Jack LoGiudice, consulting producer Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara.
- #003
Frank Darabont wrote or co-wrote four of the six episodes in The Walking Dead's first season, while each of the other five writers contributed to one episode.
- #004
Frank Darabont directed the pilot episode of The Walking Dead's first season.
- #005
The five remaining first-season episodes of The Walking Dead were directed by Michelle MacLaren, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Johan Renck, Ernest Dickerson and Guy Ferland.
- #006
On December 1, 2010, Deadline Hollywood reported that Frank Darabont had dismissed his writing staff for The Walking Dead, including executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee, and intended to rely on freelance writers for the second season.
- #007
Chic Eglee joined The Walking Dead under the plan that Frank Darabont would work on the first season and then leave to make movies.
- #008
Chic Eglee chose to leave The Walking Dead rather than serve as second-in-command, a position he was unaccustomed to after being a top dog.
- #009
Gale Anne Hurd confirmed in a December 3, 2010 Entertainment Weekly interview that every one of the principal cast of The Walking Dead was signed up for multiple seasons.
- #010
In July 2011, Frank Darabont, the developer and showrunner of The Walking Dead, was fired from his showrunner position over what the evidence describes as unethical business practices by AMC higher-ups.
- #011
Glen Mazzara, an executive producer on The Walking Dead, was appointed the series' new showrunner in place of Frank Darabont.
- #012
The Walking Dead added several writers to its staff for the second season, among them co-executive producer Evan Reilly, producer Scott M. Gimple, story editor Angela Kang and David Leslie Johnson.
- #013
For its third season, The Walking Dead brought in producers Nichole Beattie and Sang Kyu Kim as new writers, while Frank Renzulli wrote a freelance script for the show.
- #014
After the third season of The Walking Dead concluded, Glen Mazzara left his roles as showrunner and executive producer under a mutual agreement with AMC. A press release stated that both sides acknowledged a difference of opinion over the show's future direction and decided it was best to part ways.
- #015
Scott M. Gimple took over as showrunner of The Walking Dead for its fourth season, and new writers including Curtis Gwinn, Channing Powell and Matt Negrete joined the writing staff.
- #016
In January 2018, it was announced that Scott M. Gimple would move into the newly created role of Chief Content Officer for the entire Walking Dead franchise.
- #017
Angela Kang replaced Scott M. Gimple as showrunner of The Walking Dead starting with the ninth season.
- #018
The Walking Dead generally follows the major characters and plots of Kirkman's comic series, though it does not attempt to proceed step-by-step and its writers have leeway in the narrative.
- #019
Contains a major spoiler — show
The Walking Dead's writers, together with Kirkman, often transfer how a character died in the comics to a different character in the series; in the fourth season, Hershel Greene is beheaded by the Governor, a fate that in the comic belongs to Tyreese.
- #020
Some television characters, such as Carol, have far outlived their comic counterparts, while others already killed off in the series, such as Sophia and Andrea, remained alive for some time in the ongoing comic series.
- #021
The Walking Dead has featured a large rotating ensemble cast, and in most cases actors' departures were determined by the writing, with characters killed off or written off as needed to develop the story.
- #022
Cast members of The Walking Dead were generally informed ahead of time when they had been written off the show, but were otherwise kept to secrecy.
- #023
Several actors departed The Walking Dead on their own terms, driven by other commitments or changes, and the show's writing adjusted its plot around those exits.
- #024
Andrew Lincoln portrayed Rick Grimes, the protagonist of The Walking Dead, from the series's pilot.
- #025
Andrew Lincoln announced at the start of the ninth season that he planned to leave The Walking Dead, citing the half-year he spent filming in the United States and the time it cost him with his family in the United Kingdom.
- #026
Andrew Lincoln appeared in five episodes of the ninth season to conclude Rick's storyline within The Walking Dead, and the character was originally intended to continue in three films.
- #027
In July 2022, it was announced that Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira would star in a six-episode miniseries replacing the planned three films.
- #028
Lauren Cohan has portrayed Maggie Greene on The Walking Dead since the show's second season.
- #029
When contract negotiations for The Walking Dead's ninth season got underway, Lauren Cohan had the chance to star in Whiskey Cavalier, which restricted the time she could devote to the show.
- #030
Lauren Cohan appeared as Maggie in the first five episodes of The Walking Dead's ninth season.
- #031
In October 2019, it was confirmed that Lauren Cohan would come back as a series regular for the eleventh season of The Walking Dead.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia The Walking Dead (TV series) — Wikipedia
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