Production on the eleventh and final season of AMC‘s long-lived, often divisive, flagship zombie series The Walking Dead has wrapped in Georgia. Believe it or not, it’s been 12 years of what seems like endless character deaths, showrunner exits, diminishing critical returns, and, yes, walkers, making the show the network’s longest lasting and most profitable offering to date. It is survived by an expanding universe of spinoffs, including Fear the Walking Dead, the forthcoming Tales of the Walking Dead, The Isle of The Dead, a Daryl and Carol series, possible Rick Grimes’ movies, and legions of dedicated, determined fans. Its teen-focused spinoff, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, predeceased it.
“Last day of filming on #TheWalkingDead,” current showrunner Angela Kang posted on her Instagram. “Thanks to everyone who’s sent well wishes to those of us who work on the show today. It’s been an amazing ride.”
Despite occasional ribbing from both critics and fans (and some bitter business disputes), it has been an amazing ride. Inspired by co-creator Robert Kirkman‘s black-and-white comic book of the same name, TWD evolved from an expensive original series gamble by a basic-cable network with no action titles to its name to a ratings staple and the center of a galaxy of video games, merchandise, books, fan-supported sites, web-only micro-series, the spinoffs mentioned above, and more. With 177 episodes, several compelling storylines and characters, and buckets of blood to its name, it’s influenced a generation of terrestrial and streaming horror series and helped cement the Atlanta area as a leading production site in the U.S.
Other TWD cast and crew members celebrated the show’s production wrap on social media, including executive producer and director Greg Nicotero and series lead Norman Reedus:
Walking Dead cast member Lauren Cohan shared a photo of herself celebrating the series wrap, captioning the image with, “I don’t have the words right now, but I want to raise my cup to the crew of The Walking Dead. Thank you. 11 seasons. My heart is full.”
Walking Dead writer and producer LaToya Morgan also commemorated the show’s production wrap, and the series’ official Twitter account posted some photos of the cast throughout the years of filming:
One last time… much love to my beloved #TWDFamily on the last day of shooting! What an incredible 12 year run. Forever honored to be a part of this wonderful group of gifted humans. #TWD #WalkingDead pic.twitter.com/2adN6u3MYT
— LaToya Morgan (@MorganicInk) March 30, 2022
Today is the big day! Filming for #TheWalkingDead is coming to an end. It's been an incredible 12 years and we hope all the amazing cast and crew have a fantastic wrap day. #TWDFamily forever! pic.twitter.com/ybGR8jqa9O
— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) March 31, 2022
The final half of The Walking Dead‘s final season continues to air on AMC at 9 PM, with the finale set to premiere on April 10.
via Collider