The Walking Dead is full of talented performers who helped to create an expansive dystopian world filled with undead monsters, and some of the actors also got to take control behind the camera. It’s not uncommon for actors to turn their hand to acting, with many getting to experience work as a director on long-running shows that they have appeared in. With the actors already familiar with the team and their co-stars, and getting to take control of the directing from right in the middle of the action, it makes sense to take a step in that direction for any actors who are so inclined.
Actors like Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy, Troian Bellisario of Pretty Little Liars, and Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad all got to sit in the director’s chair and get involved in the creative process of pulling an episode together behind the camera during their time on the shows. That being said, directing is not for everyone, and many more actors decide to continue working in front of the camera where they can focus on their own performance. The cast of The Walking Dead had a few actors brave enough to make the switch from acting in the show to directing within the main show and its various spin-offs, and the episodes they delivered are generally great.
13 “Stradivarius” – Directed By Michael Cudlitz
The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 7
“Stradivarius” is an intricate episode with several storylines playing out simultaneously. This episode also happened to be the first time that Michael Cidlitz, who played Abraham Ford in earlier seasons of The Walking Dead, took the reins as a director. Cudlitz is clearly finding his feet as he navigates the storylines and leading actors with whom he probably had much less contact or no prior engagement, considering how much the cast of the show changed from season to season. Despite this, his debut is a solid entry that fits into season 9 and moves the story forward.
12 “Silence The Whisperers” – Directed By Michael Cudlitz
The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 4
Cudlitz was then invited back to direct another two entries in the following season, with each one improving in quality and showing a natural progression from the actor-turned-director as he became more confident in directing. “Silence the Whisperers” is a more intimate episode exploring a connection between Lydia, who left the Whisperers to join those in Alexandria, and Negan, a former antagonist who is slowly trying to earn the trust of people he previously caused great harm. The episode is very memorable and the interaction between Negan and Lydia delivers a beautiful sense of kinship in spite of their shared loneliness and dark pasts.
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11 “Open Your Eyes” – Directed By Michael Cudlitz
The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 7
This episode is a highlight of season 10 as Carol betrays the community at Alexandria by bringing a Whisperer in the hopes of exposing Lydia and having the Whisperers turn on their own people. The episode focuses on Dante, a spy from the Whisperer community, and it also features the death of the beloved community doctor, Siddiq. Cudlitz clearly found his groove with the actors delivering some of their best performances of the season, new characters stepping up in meaningful roles, and the required emotional impact with each new reveal in the episode.
10 “Shadow Puppets” – Directed By Michael Cudlitz
The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 1, Episode 6
Between The Walking Dead season 10 and season 11, there was almost a three-year gap due to the pandemic. However, Cudlitz was able to join the team working on the spin-off series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, to direct two of the episodes in its premiere season. While the series itself received mixed reviews, the episodes Cudlitz directed were among the highest-rated of the season. “Shadow Puppets” sees a mysterious new character with some possibly valuable information, but the arrival of someone outside the group creates tension for the group.
9 “Truth Or Dare” – Directed By Michael Cudlitz
The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 1, Episode 7
World Beyond was a series focused on a new generation growing up in the zombie apocalypse, and “Truth or Dare” is one of the best episodes for building out the characters. When the group decides to play a game of truth or dare to pass the time, it brings up emotional and haunting parts of their history and how they came to be in the positions they are now. The creativity and the interwoven narrative are well-done and Cudlitz clearly stepped up as a director to create one of the best episodes of season 1.
8 “Rogue Element” – Directed By Michael Cudlitz
The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 11
Finally, Cudlitz returned to the original series once again for the final season of the show. Cudlitz was brought back to direct an episode that largely focused on his former companion in the wastelands, Eugene, now a man settled into life in the Commonwealth. The show has always had its ups and downs, and especially as the seasons progressed, some episodes have been much slower and less influential than others. This episode felt largely like a filler episode, with little to push the narrative forward and very little in the way of action or horror that made the series popular in the first place.
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7 “Welcome To The Club” – Directed By Lennie James
Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 2
Lennie James has been an integral part of The Walking Dead universe since it began. He is the first person Rick Grimes meets after the outbreak, Morgan Jones, and he guides Rick forward on his journey. He reappears periodically during the main series, joining the main group before leaving to forge his own path. He then went on to star in Fear The Walking Dead for well over half of the entire series run. It was during Fear TWD that James got his start with directing episodes as well, and so far, his only directorial credits are from the show.
His debut was during the Fear The Walking Dead season 6 episode, aptly titled “Welcome to the Club.” He did an incredible job pulling everything together, directing beautiful shots, getting wonderful performances from the team, and building a story that expanded the world of Fear TWD. A new settlement is added, Lawton, which invokes a sense of old westerns, and new characters are introduced making this a pivotal episode that James managed to pull together with great skill.
6 “Till Death” – Directed By Lennie James
Fear The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 5
It’s no wonder then that James was asked to return and direct another two episodes of the show for the following season. The penultimate season of the show was unfortunately a little weaker than what came before, but James’ work on directing has to be acknowledged and praised, as he pulled the story together and delivered solid moments. “Till Death” doesn’t actually feature Morgan in the story, as it moves away from the central narrative to explore Dwight and Sherry’s interactions with Victor Strand. The episode is somewhat mismatched, with the infamous wrestling scene being particularly grating for audiences.
5 “Mourning Cloak” – Directed By Lennie James
Fear The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 10
James’ final directorial entry for Fear The Walking Dead was similarly criticized due to the almost anthology-style stories that started appearing so late in the show. “Mourning Cloak” introduces a new character, has an enemies-to-lovers arc over a day, and then kills off the new character. Dramatic as it may be, it feels wasteful to indulge in empty stories for some shock value. Morgan is nowhere to be seen in this episode, freeing up James to focus purely on directorial duties, but unfortunately, the story didn’t hit the notes that were intended and just added to the season 7 slump.
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4 “Weak” – Directed By Colman Domingo
Fear The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 12
Colman Domingo is the primary antagonist of Fear TWD, and during his run on the show, he stepped into the role of director on three episodes. The first was during the latter half of the fourth season, “Weak.” The episode doesn’t feature Domingo’s character, Victor Strand, which meant he could put his focus on directing the cast and crew he was familiar with and often worked alongside. The episode is focused on building the characters that recently entered as the show was in a period of change after main cast members Nick and Troy were killed off. The episode is decent, but it’s definitely finding its feet as the show changes.
3 “Humbug’s Gulch” – Directed By Colman Domingo
Fear The Walking Dead Season 5, Episode 3
“Humbug’s Gulch” also leaves Strand out of the story, but it is a marked improvement on the previous entry directed by Domingo. June, Morgan, and Dwight lead this episode and do so to great effect. It marks Dwight’s entry to the Fear The Walking Dead and early in season 5, it helps the show to settle into a new normal with the updated cast that will lead the remainder of the show. Great work by Domingo weaving together multiple narratives with solid pacing and developing new characters, pulling out great performances from the actors.
2 “Alaska” – Directed By Colman Domingo
Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 3
The final episode directed by Domingo is his best entry, again, only working behind the camera and opting to focus on the rest of the cast. As opposed to less popular episodes of Fear TWD and its parent series, “Alaska” is fast-paced, and delivers several pivotal moments to drive the narrative forward. The single most important being the long-awaited reunion between Dwight and his wife Sherry. Domingo proves his talents have grown with each new season and the episodes he directs, and it’s a shame he didn’t get to step in and direct for later seasons.
1 “Ofelia” – Directed By Alycia Debnam-Carey
Fear The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 11
Alycia Debnam-Carey has been central to FTWD since the very beginning, having appeared in the first episode and continuing in the series to the finale. As Alicia Clark, she is the sister of the primary protagonist, Madison Clark. Alycia also had her directorial debut during the seventh season of the show with “Ofelia.” While season 7 certainly wasn’t the strongest of the series, Alycia did a great job of directing with stunning visuals and good pacing that was largely absent the rest of the season. The performances of the cast are also strong, with many having a return to form in The Walking Dead spin-off series.
