Long Live The Walking Dead With Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln: Will Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes Still Rule In 2023?
The Walking Dead could still be running in six years according to the show’s creator Robert Kirkman. There is no end in sight for Norman Reedus’ character Daryl Dixon, Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, or for the rest of the cast, except that as all TWD fans know, in a zombie apocalypse life can end for any character at any time.
The Walking Dead’s Season 7 is a dangerous one. Season 7B will be all out war, and beloved characters may die. Even Norman Reedus’s Daryl Dixon, Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, Melissa McBride’s Carol, or Danai Gurira’s Michonne, could die in this one.
Norman Reedus’ character Daryl Dixon doesn’t have a guarantee on The Walking Dead. Technically even Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes’ life isn’t assured by the fact Rick and Carl (Chandler Riggs) are central to the comic. The Walking Dead promises nothing, even to favorite starring characters.
The Walking Dead on AMC, however, has a pretty unlimited lifespan, from the network’s point of view. Not only is The Walking Dead pulling the lion’s share of rating for AMC, but TWD with Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus is also among the most highly rated shows on television.
The Walking Dead’s Creator Robert Kirkman has explained that the show has plenty of material for another six seasons, and the comic book is still being created. Even after six more years, the comic will still be far ahead of the AMC TV show. Robert Kirkman is quoted on Comic Book.
“It took us 6 seasons to get to 100. It won’t take us 6 years to get to 200 and that will take us to season … TWELVE. And we’ll still be ahead of the show at that point.”
So perhaps Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, and Andrew Lincoln, as Daryl Dixon, Carl Grimes, and Rick Grimes do have job security in that sense anyway. Robert Kirkman explained further to Comic Book.
“[The Walking Dead is] the zombie movie that never ends.”
The Walking Dead with Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln, and Chandler Riggs has a long life ahead, according to The Independent.
“Rather than finishing up somewhere between season 5 and 8 like most quality drama series, the AMC show could go on pretty much indefinitely like The Simpsons.“
Considering The Simpsons has been renewed for Seasons 29 and 30, according to Variety. That is a pretty major prediction. Still with AMC solidly behind The Walking Dead as their flagship show, what could go wrong?
The Walking Dead Fans love the gore and violence, but also the sensitive character development that endears characters like Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) to the viewer. The Walking Dead takes a real chance in putting favorites like Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, or Andrew Lincoln as Rick at risk of becoming zombie food.
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier and Lauran Cohan as Maggie Greene, each has a long history in The Walking Dead. Danai Gurira as Michonne hasn’t been with the group quite as long, but she has won the hearts of many fans.
The Waking Dead actors portray believable characters in an unlikely situation. It is up to the actors and the writers to make it seem real. Extensive character development coupled with horror intensifies the audience reaction to the inevitable death of some characters, but The Walking Dead fans seem to be able to accept their losses so far.
Norman Reedus’ character Daryl Dixon adds a lot of believable elements to the show. Daryl Dixon’s wilderness survival experience and pragmatic logic make it feasible the group could survive. Daryl is not in the comic books, but the TV version needs Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon to make the live action make sense to the growing number of survivalists who watch the show.
In this season’s premiere of The Walking Dead, Glenn was murdered on screen. Beaten to a bloody pulp with a barbed wire encrusted ball bat. Ratings have fallen off a bit since then, but are still extremely good. There is not a chance this show will be canceled anytime soon.
The Walking Dead’s continued success is, at least in part, is due to these veteran actors and their ability to make viewers feel their pain and believe their situations. The loss of Steven Yeun in the cast may be detrimental because Glenn Rhee too was a believable survivalist.
Norman Reedus has a tremendous and extremely volatile fan base, who vow “If Daryl dies we riot.” Not only do Norman Reedus fans look at Daryl Dixon as a heartthrob, but also as a role model for survivalists. Many men identify strongly with Daryl. Thus, some pretty tough people look to Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon as an example of what to do in the event of a disaster.
The Walking Dead, with Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon at least in the past, was quite a zombie survival manual. Season 7 has perhaps plunged the super realistic horror TV drama back into comic book territory. The Walking Dead graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, are the basis for the show. Season 7 is following the comic pretty much to the letter, and some fans love it while others are not so inspired.
The Walking Dead season 7A has been a tough one for characters like Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon, and Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes. It has also been tough on fans who feel Norman Reedus’ every pain and fret over his every trial.
The Walking Dead’s ever growing fan base, for the first time, are appearing divided and polarized according to social media and an outpouring of comments on The Inquisitr. Norman Reedus’s rugged survivalist fans tend to like zombie horror and wilderness survival, while the comic enthusiasts just want TWD to be true to the comics. Perhaps it is just a sign of the times. Of course, the majority of fans just love it all, so the show will be fine.
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Some of the Norman Reedus fans who enjoy the TV series more than the comic adored the realistic zombie battle more than the season 7 elements. The Walking Dead’s Season 7 features human foes like Jeffery Dean Morgan as Negan and other comic book style villains. The quick shift from zombies to human conflict with other groups left more than a few fans with culture shock.
The Walking Dead fan base though is very vast and eventually these problems will even out. Season 7B promises a lot more action and hopefully a little less desperation from Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln’s characters Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes.
The Walking Dead’s Season 7 has proven full of hardships for Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, and some fans, but overall TWD has a potentially long future.
[Featured Image by Mike Windle/Getty Images]
