The Walking Dead was one of the biggest TV shows ever. The zombie drama introduced viewers to the zombie-ravaged world from Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) perspective, but things switched up as the show progressed. The Walking Dead ran for 11 seasons. Nothing was on the air quite like it, thanks to its cutthroat storytelling and a knack for killing off beloved characters without a second thought.

Due to its success, The Walking Dead spawned six spinoffs: Fear The Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. The spinoffs all reached varying success, with the three that launched following The Walking Dead series finale making the biggest impact.

The Walking Dead, which followed survivors of the zombie apocalypse, was a great show, but it featured moments that made viewers quit watching.

8The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Season 1, Episode 1: “Years”

A comic-book-accurate Rick Grimes made a spinoff worthwhile

By the time Andrew Lincoln returned, The Walking Dead franchise was producing more bad episodes than good. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live‘s premiere introduced viewers to a different Rick. He’d lost all hope of reuniting with his family after several failed escape attempts.

The episode also ushered in a more comic-book-accurate Rick after he chopped his hand off while trying to escape the CRM. Packing several years of Rick’s life into one hour couldn’t have been easy, but “Years” was a well-paced hour that set up conflicts inside and outside of the CRM. It also featured the Richonne reunion, which was another well-handled plot.

7The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 4: “Killer Within”

Lori Grimes’ death sent the show in a new direction

Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) made some despicable decisions throughout her time on The Walking Dead, but this episode highlighted that she was a devoted mother who would go to any lengths to save her kids. Bleeding profusely, Lori forced Maggie to perform a Cesarean section on her to save her child.

The trauma only heightened when Lori bled out, and Carl was forced to put his mother down to prevent her from returning as a Walker. “The Killer Within” kicked off interesting plots that affected the rest of the season. Callies turned in an award-worthy performance that will be remembered for years.

6The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 12: “Walk With Us”

Alpha’s last stand helped prop up Negan Smith

Writing out a character like Alpha couldn’t have been simple, but The Walking Dead writers showed that the carefully constructed Whisperer War had to reach its conclusion without its leader. “Walk With Us” was a remarkable hour that revealed Alpha had zero redeeming qualities. Watching her visceral reaction to Negan’s betrayal was fascinating because it was obvious she was upset that someone outmaneuvered her.

Alpha’s death set up the battle to come, with many different storylines directly affected by her death. Episodes this good aren’t typical for a show in its tenth season, but the writers handled this arc with care because it was obvious there would be plenty of consequences for all the characters.

Zombie killers come in all sizes, especially when it comes to The Walking Dead. What’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s height and is he the tallest actor?

5The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 7: “Pretty Much Dead Already”

Drama on the farm helped made for a shocking midseason finale

The Walking Dead excelled when the survivors had differing viewpoints about how to get out of sticky situations. “Pretty Much Dead Already” focused on Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) belief that Walkers could be cured. The episode helped create a fraught dynamic between Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and her father as she realized Rick’s group made more sense.

One of the lingering mysteries in The Walking Dead season 2 was Sophia’s (Madison Lintz) whereabouts, and in terms of shock value, this midseason finale had it all. It featured survivors bickering, and the only thing that brought them together was Sophia’s death. The emotional hour presented a massive turning point for Carol as she reeled from losing her daughter.

4The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 1: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”

Negan Smith’s violent outburst will never be forgotten

The early years of The Walking Dead were great because of the show’s willingness to kill beloved characters. Losing Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) back-to-back changed the show’s fabric and established Negan as this horrible man who would go to any lengths to show his authority.

The episode featured two of the most violent deaths in TV history. Despite the backlash heard worldwide, the writing was top-tier as the show put the survivors up against a villain who could wipe them out with the flick of his wrist. It changed the show and increased the tension considerably.

3The Walking Dead Season 5, Episode 1: “No Sanctuary”

Terminus was anything but a sanctuary

Rick’s group had countless brushes with death while searching for sanctuary, but this episode brought everyone’s worst fears to the surface. Terminus was no haven, and The Walking Dead didn’t pull any punches in telling the story of the cannibals who tried to trap the survivors.

The episode also featured plenty of action to break up the tension, with Carol showing up to save the day in a scene that felt ripped from a Hollywood movie.

The explosive hour also featured plenty of action to break up the tension, with Carol showing up to save the day in a scene that felt ripped straight out of a Hollywood movie. “No Sanctuary” highlighted how The Walking Dead could expand its scope to deliver bigger storylines with higher stakes and consequences. The episode was also influential because it changed how Rick’s group viewed new people forever.

2The Walking Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “Days Gone Bye”

The episode that started the franchise was top-tier

Andrew Lincoln carried the series premiere of The Walking Dead on his back. The script was tightly written, and Atlanta was the perfect place to start the story because it showcased the decay in the city since the outbreak started. Beginning the episode with Rick awakening from his coma was an inspired choice because it made viewers feel like they were learning about this world alongside him.

“Days Gone Bye” was an immersive installment that introduced Rick, his family, and countless survivors, all with unique quirks, as they came to terms with the end of the world. The cliffhanger introducing Glenn was another strong point because it set up the rest of the season while raising many questions about why the world was filled with zombies.

1The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 14: “The Grove”

Carol Peletier’s shocking decision drove the best episode of The Walking Dead

Carol continued to grow throughout her arc on The Walking Dead, but one of her most controversial moments was killing Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino). Lizzie had a different viewpoint about Walkers and killed Mika (Kyla Kennedy) to prove she was right. The Walking Dead never shied away from thought-provoking storylines that had the potential to alienate viewers.

Despite initial backlash, “The Grove” is now widely considered the best episode of The Walking Dead. It was a shocking hour that put many things into perspective for the survivors and changed how Rick viewed Carol forever. Their bond was solid before that development, and they failed to get back to that place in the aftermath.