What would happen if the unthinkable happened and civilization has collapsed?
If the dead rise from the grave to feast on the living? What would you do? Where would you go?
That is what the living will have to discover. How to survive in this nightmarish apocalyptic world of zombies. Where perhaps the most inhuman and depraved monsters are not the shambling and shuffling hordes of the undead ... but their fellow human survivors. For in this desolate and barbaric world; there is no law here and little in the way of mercy and morals in what some will do to survive.
The Walking Dead is a long-running and multiple award winning American-produced horror-drama TV series featuring a huge ensemble cast including Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Steven Yeun, and Lauran Cohan among others.
It is based on a popular zombie post-apocalypse comic serial by the same name created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard in 2003 and followed the story of deputy sheriff Rick Grimes who awakens from a coma and struggles to reunite with his family and emerges as the leader of a group of ragtag survivors struggling to search for a safe place to survive. The Walking Dead comic series recently concluded in 2019 and included a number of spin-off specials. The TV series diverges from the comic storyline with various new locations and characters with slightly altered histories.
Season begins by showing a scene with two sheriff deputies, Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh. They are quickly called to action where Rick is shot during an altercation and sent into a coma. Rick awakens several weeks later to find the hospital abandoned, and the outside world plagued by zombies. He meets up with a father and a son next to his old house, and feels obligated to help them by raiding the police station for weapons, who in turn teach him about dealing with the zombies. Even though Rick is morally opposed to killing them at first, he accepts that they are no longer human. Eventually, Rick sets off to find his wife, Lori, and his son, Carl.
After making his way to Atlanta, which has been overrun by zombies, Rick meets up with another group of survivors which bring him back to their camp where Rick is reunited with not only his wife and son, but also Shane who, unbeknownst to Rick, has been romantically involved with his wife. Lori tells Shane she wants nothing to do with him now that Rick is back, and is upset that he told her Rick had died during the outbreak. Shane has taken over as the de facto leader of the group, but soon conflict arises between him and his former partner and friend about who could best look out for the group. After Rick sets off with a group of survivors to reclaim some guns left in Atlanta and attempt to save a survivor they had left behind, the base group is attacked and several are killed. This prompts the group to leave their camp site behind in search of the Center for Disease Control, where the survivors are hoping to find out about a possible cure.
The season ends with the group finding the CDC, but there is all but abandoned with only one scientist left. The scientist, Dr. Edwin Jenner, describes the virus, but is unknown of a possible cure as well as the origin of the virus, and also reveals that the zombie outbreak is not limited to just the United States. Meanwhile Shane drunkenly confronts Lori, confessing his love to her after she had rejected him for her husband. The situation turns violent when Lori scratches Shane, forcing him to leave. Eventually Dr. Jenner reveals to the group that the CDC is set to explode, and wishes the group to join him in a swift death as opposed to face the horrors of the outside world. Before the group leaves, Dr. Jenner whispers one last inaudible secret to Rick. Most of the group escapes the exploding CDC at the last moment with the use of a grenade , and the season ends with them riding off to an unrevealed location.
Season 2[]
Along the way, they encounter a large traffic jam on the main interstate out of the city. The situation becomes dire when a herd of walkers approaches them. Sophia is found by a group of walkers who chase her into the woods. Rick follows them and kills the walkers. However, he loses Sophia. Rick and a few of the survivors then head out to search for her. During the search while Carl is accidentally shot by a man named Otis. He then leads Rick and Shane back to a farm where he explains the owner, Hershel Green is most likely Carl's only hope for survival. While Carl recovers, the rest of the group are gathered from the interstate and are settled at Hershel's farm with Shane, Rick and Hershel's family. The group tries to co-exist alongside Hershel's family, but dangerous secrets and disagreements over leadership cause tensions to rise among the survivors. After establishing a relationship with Maggie Greene, Hershel's daughter, Glenn finds out that Hershel had been keeping his barn full of walkers. Angry at the revelation, Shane forces the barn open where the group open kills the walkers. As the dust clears, the last walker exits the barn. It is revealed to be Sophia. As the entire group grieve and flinch, Rick pulls out his gun and shoots her dead.
After the event, Rick and Glenn find Hershel in a bar, sulking over his losses. Suddenly, two men appear asking for assistance. Rick turns them down in fear of his own groups safety and soon a gun fight breaks out where Rick kills both the survivors. Soon after the dead men's group gathers outside of the bar as they precede to look for them. They find the bar and open fire on Rick, Hershel and Glen. Noticing a gathering of walkers, the attacking group retreats, leaving behind Randall, one of their members. Rick saves him with the help of Hershel and Glen. When the group return to the farm they tie Randall up in the barn and blind fold him. The group then struggles about what to do with Randall. Dale is fatally wounded on his way back to his RV, by a stumbling walker. Daryl puts him out of his misery by shooting him in his head as an act of mercy. After Dale's funeral, the group decides that they need to rediscover their humanity and not lose it. After the service, Shane takes Randall into the woods and kills him. After finding a zombified Randall, that Glenn and Daryl learn that after death everyone becomes a walker, no matter how the person died. Shane uses Randall's disappearance as a ploy to lead Rick into the woods where he would kill him. After Rick realizes the situation, he quickly counter's Shane attack and kills Shane in return. Carl appears distraught after watching his dad kill Shane and draws his gun on him. Shane reanimates as a walker is killed by Carl.
The gunshots attract an enormous hoard of walkers. They quickly overtake the farm and Rick and the other survivors are forced to flee the farm, leaving Andrea behind. After a few hours of running and fighting on her own, Andrea is saved by a mysterious woman with a hood, leading two chained walkers. The remaining survivors, consisting of Rick, Lori, Carl, Glen, Daryl, Carol, T-Dog, Maggie, Beth and Hershel regroup and take shelter in the woods, far away from the farm. Angry and frustrated, Rick reveals the truth behind Shane's death, and what Dr. Jenner whispered to him at the CDC, that they are all infected, and will return as walkers, regardless of the cause of their death. The group now in shambles, stares at the luminous campfire as a large prison is revealed to be a few miles behind them.
Season 3[]
After a long winter, Rick's group finds an abandoned prison. Rick decides that this would be the best place for Lori to give birth. However, they soon come into conflict with the surviving inmates inside the prison. Rick kills one of the inmates after he attempts murder. Another inmate, named Andrew, is able to get away. He gets his vengeance by letting walkers into the prison. During the attack, T-Dog is killed by walkers and Lori dies from a C-section that Maggie is forced to do to save the baby's life. One of the inmates kills Andrew and the reaming inmates join the group. Elsewhere, Andrea and Michonne are taken into a town called Woodbury after they run into Merle and a group of townsfolk.
There, they meet a man called the Governor, who runs the town. When Michonne leaves the town, Merle is sent to kill her. He instead finds Glenn and Maggie and takes them to Woodbury where they are tortured for information. Michonne is able to find the prison and informs Rick about Glenn and Maggie's capture. Together with Michonne, the group infiltrates the town and saves Maggie and Glenn. During the invasion, Michonne finds kills the Governor's undead daughter. Infuriated, the Governor attempts to kill Michonne, but he fails and loses an eye in the process. Rick's group then escapes with Merle after town turns against him for the attack. When Rick returns to the prison, finds a group of survivors that Carl brought in. He scares them when off when he becomes manic after he starts seeing Lori on the balcony.
Later, the Governor arrives with his army and attack the prison in retaliation. Andrea, learning of the Governor's attack, sets up a meeting to bring a truce between both sides. During the meeting, the Governor gives Rick an ultimatum; he can give up Michonne or Woodbury would be at war with the prison. Milton tells Andrea about the Governor's plan to kill Rick's group. Horrified Andrea attempts to warn Rick. However, she is caught by the Governor after a chase and is taken to the Governor's torture chamber. Merle kidnaps Michonne in order to fulfill the deal. However, he has a change of heart and frees Michonne. Then he attempts to kill Governor by himself, but is killed instead.
To punish Milton for his treason, the Governor kills him and leaves him there so he would kill Andrea as a walker. The Governor attempts to invade the prison. Instead, he and his men are ambushed and are repelled by the prison group. Furious, the Governor kills a majority of his army. Rick's group returns to Woodbury and find Andrea lying in a pool of blood. Andrea asks Rick to give her his gun so she can commit suicide. After Andrea dies, Rick gathers up the remaining townspeople. He then brings them to the prison and allows them to join the group.