Considering the huge success of AMC’s The Walking Dead, it was a surprise when fans learned that season 11 would be its last. From the best villains on the popular show to the important character Beth Greene (Emily Kinney), it felt like the show could go on forever. After the premiere of the apocalyptic drama in October 2010, The Walking Dead became one of the most talked-about series ever, and it continues to generate buzz even several years after the November 2022 series finale.

Of course, every series has to end eventually, but The Walking Dead franchise is still going strong thanks to the many spin-offs. While The Walking Dead season 12 didn’t come to fruition, at least fans of both the comic book series and the AMC show can continue to watch fast-paced and compelling stories featuring these beloved characters.

Why Was The Walking Dead Canceled Before The Walking Dead Season 12?

Rick in The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead season 12 didn’t happen because AMC decided to end the popular TV series. As showrunner Scott Gimple said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, it was tough to wrap his mind around the show’s conclusion because “it all went by too fast.” He explained:

“This came out of conversations with AMC and ultimately they made this call, obviously. And so [ The Walking Dead showrunner] Angela Kang and I, thinking about it was … I don’t know, it’s incredibly heavy.”

Gimple also said:

“I mean, even though, like you said, we have all these Walking Dead things ahead, and even with so many of the people that we work with, and in fact I’m hoping it’s with most of the people in one direction or another with Tales , Daryl and Carol, other stuff. I don’t know, it’s still incredibly heavy.”

As The Hollywood Reporter noted in November 2022, ratings for The Walking Dead dipped as the series went on. While the season 6 finale had 10 million viewers, same-day viewers dwindled to fewer than 2 million. AMC decided that there would be no The Walking Dead season 12 in September 2020. Besides lower ratings, the zombie apocalypse show was also pricey to make.

The announcement that there would be no The Walking Dead season 12 came with news of several The Walking Dead spin-offs. The most notable spin-off is Fear The Walking Dead, which fans continue to debate. There is also the prequel Fear The Walking Dead: Dead in the Water, which came and went without much fanfare.

However, several years back, it seemed like those working on the series would have been happy to make The Walking Dead season 12. According to IndieWire, producer David Alpert spoke at the PGA panel in 2014 and said:

“I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what season 10 is gonna be. We know where season 11 and 12…we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we’re lucky enough to get there.”

How Did The Walking Dead End?

Rick in The Walking Dead series finale

In season 11, episode 24 of The Walking Dead, “Rest in Peace,” the main characters battle Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins), and Michonne Hawthorne (Danai Gurira) looks for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who is in the wilderness. Thanks to Pamela’s hold over the Commonwealth, the stakes have never been higher.

In a long-awaited battle scene, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) tells Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) that he is sorry that he murdered Glenn, her husband, which was a surprising moment considering that he is one of the best The Walking Dead villains. After Daryl Dixon speaks his mind, the soldiers working for Pamela decide to support her enemies instead, and they let the characters inside the Estate. Pamela knows that the end is near for her when Mercer places her under arrest, but Pamela’s desire for Lance Hornsby, now a zombie, to kill her doesn’t work. Maggie saves the day by killing Lance and ensuring that Pamela will go to jail.

While the final episode of a popular TV series is always subjective and fans debate the most lackluster TV series finales, the series finale of The Walking Dead did wrap the story up properly. While some might have liked to see The Walking Dead season 12, the dinner scene in the series finale was moving as the main characters enjoyed spending time together before learning the sad news that Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) had been bitten. Maggie also talks about what comes next with Daryl and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), which makes sense since Carol will appear in the Daryl Dixon spin-off.