Andrew Lincoln notably left The Walking Dead during season 9, but why Rick left The Walking Dead is a different story. 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. However, why Rick left The Walking Dead in season 9 opened up the future of the franchise.
Even for a show like The Walking Dead with its shocking character deaths and an ever-changing cast list, Andrew Lincoln’s season 9 TWD 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. Surprisingly, why Rick left The Walking Dead was not due to his character’s death, and that will soon end up explored in the next chapter of the franchise.
Why Rick Grimes’ Actor Andrew Lincoln Left The Walking Dead
By the time its ninth season rolled around, Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) seemed to be The Walking Dead mainstays who would last until the end. For fans of the comics, Rick was there until the end of the story, and when Rick’s story ended, the comics pretty much ended as well. However, that changed on the TV series during season 9 when Rick Grimes left The Walking Dead. However, he did return for one final appearance in The Walking Dead series finale. The truth is that Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead because of his desire to be close to his family.
Andrew Lincoln is the father of two young children, and they live in the UK. Since The Walking Dead‘s production takes place primarily in Atlanta and lasts several months, Lincoln wasn’t able to spend as much time at home as he’d like. Ultimately, Lincoln realized that, in order to spend more time with his family, he needed to leave The Walking Dead. “I have two young children, and I live in a different country, and they become less portable as they get older,” Lincoln said (via EW). “It was that simple. It was time for me to come home.”
Regardless of why Rick left The Walking Dead, it proved to be a turning point for the series. Without its biggest character, the show had to turn its focus elsewhere and reinvent the story. TWD season 9’s six-year time jump coincided with Andrew Lincoln’s exit, which allowed The Walking Dead to show what happened to the core group of characters without Rick Grimes around. For the creators, writers, and viewers, Rick Grimes departure seemed to be a blessing in disguise. The Walking Dead has been incredibly well-received afterward, and manged to carry itself through to the season 11 finale without the group’s leader.
Rick Grimes TWD Return Explained
Why Rick left The Walking Dead in season 9 was because he is a hero. In the episode, “What Comes After,” a hoard of Walkers headed for the survivors and Rick knew he needed to act fast. With Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, Carol, and his own daughter Judith in danger, Rick did what he thought was best. He sacrificed himself to save his friends and family. Rick blew up the bridge filled with walkers to save those he loved. It was an ultimate sacrifice – except that Rick didn’t die. Jadis showed up in the CRM helicopter, and they took Rick away, and off the show until the series finale.
That made Rick’s reappearance in The Walking Dead series finale so shocking. In the last moments of the TWD series ending, Rick writes a letter to Michonne about both the dead and the living. Rick can be seen on a beach, packing a backpack. He puts his message in a bottle and then throws it into the lake, when a helicopter can be heard from off-screen. He quickly throws the backpack into a nearby boat, when a CRM helicopter says via loudspeaker, “Consignee Grimes, you’ve been located and are instructed to surrender.” Rick ends up putting his hands in the air, smiling as the helicopter descends.
Michonne is also alive, racing on horseback to search for Rick after finding evidence that he might still be alive. That is, of course, from the backpack that Rick threw on the boat. It all tied together nicely and that final scene in The Walking Dead sets up the upcoming Rick and Michonne six-episode miniseries. The Walking Dead: Rick & Michonne wrapped shooting in May 2023, and is expected to premiere sometime in 2024. Presumably, the miniseries will cover Michonne and Rick’s respective journeys to find one another in what Danai Gurira called a “love story” and hopefully give The Walking Dead‘s most beloved character a proper ending.
