**Spoilers (sort of) for “The Walking Dead” Season 9**
It’s a sad state of affairs for “The Walking Dead” that news of the lead actor leaving the show isn’t the top headline everywhere. If Andrew Lincoln left the series 5 years ago, you better believe that the story would be the most talked-about thing on the Internet. Instead, it’s met with, “Oh wait, that’s still a thing?”
Collider is reporting that “The Walking Dead” lead actor Andrew Lincoln is leaving the show after the upcoming Season 9. And not only that, but he’ll only appear in about 6 episodes next season. Surely, this means he’s going to die, as any other result for the character would be anti-climactic. But the real question is if anyone cares?
READ MORE: ‘The Walking Dead’ Producer Explains Why He’s Not Worried About Plummeting Ratings
You see, news that Lincoln is leaving comes on the heels of “The Walking Dead” posting some of the worst ratings in series history. The finale for Season 8, which concluded a major storyline that stretched over the better part of 2 years, was the least-watched season finale since way back in Season 1. Not only that, the episode’s ratings were down a whopping 30% from the Season 7 finale a year earlier. Clearly, this series is on the decline…and fast.
The loss of viewers is obviously baffling to AMC, as they attempt to figure out what’s going on. The truth is that the decline of “The Walking Dead” is a sign of our society’s indifference towards the zombie genre. What used to be a revolutionary genre of filmmaking, from icons like George Romero, was turned into a soap opera and pop culture phenomenon thanks to ‘TWD.’ Seriously, there was a time when ‘Walking Dead’ merch was everywhere around you. The show might actually be a casualty of its own success, and a casebook example of overstaying your welcome with audiences.
On top of losing viewers at an alarming pace, there’s the highly-public contract dispute that actress Lauren Cohan had with the top brass at AMC, after demanding more money for her work. During which time, Cohan has seen another series she stars in, “Whiskey Cavalier,” get picked up by ABC, which will presumably mean less time for the actress on the zombie show. Perhaps a painful death is in her future too?
READ MORE: AMC Says ‘The Walking Dead’ Will Keep Going For “Many, Many More Years” Like ‘Star Trek’
Then you have an actor like Danai Gurira, who has starred in two of the biggest films of all time in 2018 (“Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War”). One has to imagine that her stock is skyrocketing right now, as will her price tag. This will surely lead to speculation about her character’s future.
The report mentions that Norman Reedus, who plays the ever-popular Daryl Dixon, will step up to become the lead for future seasons. This proves that there really is no end in sight for the series, as they quickly approach a decade on air.
However, with ratings plummeting and major cast members leaving (or soon to leave), it appears that “The Walking Dead” has a challenge ahead of them. Do they continue to trudge along, shedding viewers each week, or is the next season set up to be a game-changing story for the series? We’ll find out when “The Walking Dead” returns in the fall.