4. Season 9
The ninth season will forever be known as the one that saw the departure of Rick Grimes, and while that was certainly a major turning point for the series, it shouldn’t overshadow a season that was very much a turning point in its own right. Set in the aftermath of the war with the Saviors, season 9 put some distance between itself and the stale shell that The Walking Dead had become by literally putting some space between them. And it accomplished that with not one but two time-jumps.
This season placed a greater focus on communities, and the struggles they faced when there aren’t always major threats attempting to kill them every day of the week. It also made a lot of time to highlight the natural conflict that arises when the different communities come together, and the struggles each leader faced trying to bring them together. And, of course, while all of this was happening, a new, more intriguing (and terrifying), threat emerged.
The Whisperers were a force-to-be-reckoned with as the show successfully played the long game with their introduction, successfully building them up as one of TWD’s scariest group of villains.
Season 9 breathed new life into The Walking Dead and ended up being its best installment in a very long time.