Production on the eleventh and final season of AMC’s long-lived, often divisive, flagship zombie seriesThe Walking Deadhas wrapped in Georgia. Believe it or not, it’s been 12 years of what seems like endless character deaths, showrunner exits, diminishing critical returns, and, yes, walkers, making the show the network’s longest lasting and most profitable offering to date. It is survived by an expanding universe of spinoffs, includingFear the Walking Dead,the forthcomingTales of the Walking Dead,The Isle of The Dead, aDaryl and Carol series, possibleRick Grimes' movies, and legions of dedicated, determined fans. Its teen-focused spinoff,The Walking Dead: World Beyond,predeceased it.
“Last day of filming on #TheWalkingDead,” current showrunnerAngela Kangposted on her Instagram. “Thanks to everyone who’s sent well wishes to those of us who work on the show today. It’s been an amazing ride.”
Despite occasional ribbing from both critics and fans (and some bitter business disputes), ithasbeen an amazing ride. Inspired by co-creatorRobert Kirkman’s black-and-white comic book of the same name,TWDevolved from an expensive original series gamble by a basic-cable network with no action titles to its name to a ratings staple and the center of a galaxy of video games, merchandise, books, fan-supported sites, web-only micro-series, the spinoffs mentioned above, and more. With 177 episodes, several compelling storylines and characters, and buckets of blood to its name, it’s influenced a generation of terrestrial and streaming horror series and helped cement the Atlanta area as a leading production site in the U.S.
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OtherTWDcast and crew members celebrated the show’s production wrap on social media, including executive producer and directorGreg Nicoteroand series leadNorman Reedus:
Walking Deadcast memberLauren Cohanshared a photo of herself celebrating the series wrap, captioning the image with, “I don’t have the words right now, but I want to raise my cup to the crew of The Walking Dead. Thank you. 11 seasons. My heart is full.”
Walking Deadwriter and producerLaToya Morganalso commemorated the show’s production wrap, and the series' official Twitter account posted some photos of the cast throughout the years of filming:
The final half ofThe Walking Dead’s final season continues to air on AMC at 9 PM, with the finale set to premiere on April 10.
