amc

It’s been an exceptionally punishing year for fans of The Walking Dead, who first endured the cop-out of Negan’s entrance, a summer spent waiting, and about eight episodes since of misery under The Saviors’ reign. Rick will finally fight back when Season 7 returns in February, and Andrew Lincoln insists “There’s a lot more levity, if you can believe that.”

Live ratings for The Walking Dead may have taken a slight tumble in Season 7, but that isn’t stopping AMC from envisioning decades of story ahead. Creator Robert Kirkman too maintains the endless nature of the comics, though new comments suggest AMC might be gaining on the comics’ lead by the time Season 12 rolls around.

The Walking Dead isn’t generally known for post-credits scenes (few shows place them literally after the credits anyway), so you’d be forgiven to have missed the midseason finale “Hearts Still Beating” stinger. Come, join our wild speculation about those mysterious boots with a closer look at AMC’s official debut of the scene online.

Whatever turns The Walking Dead may take, be they comic or TV, both mediums tend to lean on Carl as enduring hope for the future. Former series star Michael Rooker subscribes to that theory as well, pitching his own trippy twist for how the series should end a few years down the line.

At long last, the fragmented approach to The Walking Dead Season 7 is giving way to an actual story, if only in time for this weekend’s midseason finale “Hearts Still Beating.” We’ve seen one clip, but a second look finally brings us back to Carol and Morgan, while yet another sees Aaron and Rick undertaking a risky voyage.

Even as The Walking Dead keeps Carl alive as a symbol of hope for the future, it stands to reason Chandler Riggs will eventually leave the series behind. That prospect got more immediate with word Riggs would soon be attending college, for which the Walking Dead star says of the balancing act “It wouldn’t be easy but I think that could be possible.”

It’s open season on The Walking Dead Season 7 as we brace for the 2016 finale, given that Negan is hanging around Alexandria with all manner of disgruntled survivors. At least two are ready to confront the bat-wielding baddie in a new clip from midseason finale “Hearts Still Beating,” including one that very well deserves her revenge.

It’s safe to say that the addition of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan to The Walking Dead has been a controversial one; strong actor, but in a role weighing on viewers. Morgan has time yet to flesh out Negan’s nuances, confirming not only his return for Season 8, but also explaining some of the mysterious leaks that cropped up around his entrance.

You’d be forgiven to question who, if any of The Walking Dead’s main cast is in danger of dying these days, but certainly Andrew Lincoln’s Rick and Chandler Riggs’ Carl have been largely protected. That said, recent rumblings have questioned Riggs’ future with the series, for which co-star Tom Payne asserts “I think Carl is the guy at the end on the last page.”

We’ve two Walking Dead episodes left in 2016, and it looks like next week’s penultimate “Sing Me a Song” might finally break with Season 7's piecemeal approach. Not only will Negan and the Saviors return, but our first clip sees Michonne out on the road, doing her best impression of The Wire.

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 finally delivers on its “Swear” to return Heath and Tara, but does the addition of yet another mysterious new community bring us anywhere closer to a central story? Or at least tell Tara of poor Denise? Find out in our full review!

It’s no secret that Seasons 6 and 7 of The Walking Dead have proven more divisive than usual, between the buildup to Negan’s arrival, the months-long wait to identify his victim(s), and subsequent brutality. Season 7 hasn’t felt the same since, and according to ratings data, enough viewers have subsequently tuned out to reach a multi-season low.