Following actor Andrew Lincoln's exit from the hit series, the reason given why Rick left The Walking Dead during season 9 ended up setting up much of the rest of the series and beyond. AMC launched The Walking Dead in 2010, a series that remains popular over a decade later. Based on the acclaimed comic series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead's lead role of Rick Grimes was played by Andrew Lincoln. A mainstay from season 1, it seemed inevitable that Rick would be one of the few season 1 TWD characters to stay the course.

Andrew Lincoln's Departure: A Shock to Fans

Even for a show like The Walking Dead with its shocking character deaths and an ever-changing cast list, Lincoln's season 9 exit was a huge shock to viewers. One of the reasons The Walking Dead gained such a big following was the frequency and unpredictable nature of major characters suddenly dying during the zombie apocalypse story — a story told with Rick Grimes as a narrative anchor.

The Reason Behind Rick Grimes' Exit