Scott Gimple’s The Walking Dead Plans Require a Reboot

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Summary

  • The Walking Dead franchise has had ups and downs but continues to push forward.
  • Behind-the-scenes crew changes have impacted the show’s quality over the years.
  • A reboot may be necessary to return the franchise to its former greatness.

In the second episode of The Walking Dead’s second season titled “18 Miles Out,” former Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) tentatively tells his ex-police partner and friend, Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), giving him his gun following a critical encounter between them. This moment marked a significant turning point in the popular zombie series’ early years, symbolizing The Walking Dead’s unyielding forward momentum—not every season was exceptional, particularly in spin-off territories. However, even in the most mundane instances, captivating undead scenes still arise, leaving fans hopeful that the franchise could return to its most engaging storytelling.

After 15 years, 11 series seasons, five spin-offs, numerous webisodes, and an aborted movie trilogy, there’s still optimism that the franchise won’t stop growing. As Scott Gimple vowed to keep the franchise going indefinitely, a reboot leveraging 15 years of The Walking Dead innovation seems essential.

In a Q&A session at the Saturn Awards, as reported by Collider, Scott Gimple shared his aspirations for the future of The Walking Dead Universe: “When Robert Kirkman first pitched the comic to Image, it was an unending zombie tale… Robert’s unique character development and captivating dialogue drew me in as a comic creator… [and] when he ended the comic, I was disappointed because I yearned for that never-ending zombie movie. So, we’re taking up where he left off.” While the idea of an unending zombie series on television is intriguing, the current strategies being employed by The Walking Dead, such as the constant testing and revisiting of ideas, seem to be faltering once more.

Despite the success of shows like “Walking Dead: Dead City” and “The Ones Who Live” (with the latter gaining praise for wrapping up Rick Grimes and Michonne’s storylines, portrayed by Danai Gurira), it appears that “Walking Dead” spin-off focusing on Daryl Dixon may be losing viewers with each passing season. This is suggested by the consistent decline in audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, which could potentially indicate waning fan interest.

World Beyond,” focusing on the backstory of villains like Rick’s kidnapper and characters from “The Ones Who Live,” or the initially promising but eventually tedious eight-season prequel, “Fear the Walking Dead” featuring Morgan Jones (Lennie James), have become either skippable or painfully repetitive even when crucial events or characters are present. Apart from a reunion of the original show’s surviving key cast members – Rick, Michonne, Morgan, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan), Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), and perhaps Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – there isn’t much left in this current “Walking Dead” timeline that is compelling, given its numerous missteps and enduring choices that have hindered improvement.

A commonly accepted example among fans is that the show The Walking Dead, at least in essence, came to an end when a key comic book character surviving, Rick Grimes’ son Carl Grimes (played by Chandler Riggs), died. Over seven and a half seasons, Riggs expertly portrayed Carl, and his character succumbs to a bite from a walker after saving a new character who would become an important future group medic, Siddiq (Avi Nash). It can be said that Riggs delivered a moving performance in the death scene, and the writing surrounding this event – despite some concerns about the quality of season 8 as a whole – powerfully emphasized Carl’s final words to Rick during their ongoing war against Negan’s Saviors.

Unlike most other character deaths in the comics, TV show, or theoretical scenarios, Carl’s death came as a surprise to fans because he was portrayed as one of the two characters destined to survive until the end of the franchise. In the comics, Carl Grimes continues to live long after his childhood, even taking on symbols of past characters like his father’s Sheriff hat, Michonne’s sword, Negan’s barbed wire bat (Lucille), and Glenn’s fate represented by the bat.

Previously, it was apparent that Carl was destined for a future, outliving Carol’s daughter Sophia (played by Maddison Lintz) and many other child actors. His role as the driving force behind Rick in “The Walking Dead” was one of the most significant aspects carried over from the comics, particularly since Andrew Lincoln’s intention to leave had been known since at least season 7. Therefore, his death on the show came as a devastating shock for many dedicated fans of “The Walking Dead.” It felt wrong and out of place. The series, titled “The Ones Who Live,” eventually addressed this after a six-year gap and an awkward season 9 that featured numerous storylines meant for Carl but were instead filled by a grownup character named Henry Sutton (played by Matthew Lintz, Madison’s younger brother), who was also eventually killed.

To bring back “The Walking Dead” to its original glory, a fresh start or reboot might be the best approach. This allows AMC and Scott Gimple to leverage 15 years of creative exploration to refine the show’s storyline. They can avoid sudden shifts in direction during series production, steer clear from introducing excessive spin-offs or unplanned soft reboots (the last five seasons of “Fear the Walking Dead” highlight why it’s risky to do so without a well-thought-out plan), and prevent the show from running too long and losing viewers and key characters. Fans could then enjoy a more mature version of Carl Grimes, raised by a worn-but-eventually-rejuvenated Rick Grimes, along with other storylines that stick closer to the comic book source material, avoiding prolonged build-ups leading to villains who are disposed of quickly.

It’s hard to predict if the creators can pull off this level of quality in three, thirteen, or thirty-three episodes. However, for the series to really captivate viewers again, it needs to go back to its original style and enhance it, ensuring that even the flaws of its best seasons don’t resurface. Although a reboot might not be imminent due to the upcoming season 2 of ‘Dead City’ in May and Daryl Dixon’s Spain-based season 3 production, it’s high time for ‘The Walking Dead’ to revisit its origins, tell the story more seamlessly, and introduce unexpected deaths without causing too much jarring impact.

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2025-03-13 00:37