The Walking Dead: All 11 seasons ranked from worst to best

1. Season 4

If season 3 took The Walking Dead in a new direction, season 4 is when it finally figured out what it wanted that new direction to look like. Focused solely on aftermath, it spent more time with the characters as they all figured out how to live with one another in what they thought was a post-war safe space. But the terrors of the brave new world resulted in dangers within the prison, while the return of the Governor meant that there even greater dangers outside of it.

Rick’s decision to step down as leader of the group after his cold approach in season 3 was necessary for the character, and it also enhanced the character dynamics as he learned to look at life a new way. This worked equally well for Carol, who was experiencing the inverse of that outlook and was willing to do whatever it took to survive as the group battled a new deadly strain of flu inside the prison. It set the stage well for everyone’s journeys whenever they ended up outside of those walls in the back half of the season.

While this is the season responsible for driving home the show’s tendency to split its characters off into standalone episodes, there was never a more captivating time to do it than the aftermath of the prison showdown with the Governor. And rarely has the show ever managed to make you feel as emotionally broken as it did with that edge-of-seat, soul-crushing midseason finale.

Peak Walking Dead.

What is your favorite season of The Walking Dead? Are you watching the new TWD Universe spinoffs? For more news and updates on The Walking Dead, follow Bam Smack Pow on Twitter/X.