The Walking Dead: How long can the television series last?

The Walking Dead is heading into its tenth season. The comic book story has ended so what does that mean for the series?

The Walking Dead enters into its tenth season on October 6th at 9 pm on AMC. Over that time, fans have seen many of their favorite characters in memorable situations that helped make the show what it is today.

Since the comic book story ended earlier this year, it brings up the question of how long the popular zombie survival drama series can last on television without having the source material available to pull from.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan told Variety:

"“You don’t want to run it into the ground. Me personally, I’d say let’s go out on top. Let’s go out still being the number one show in the world. Whether or not that happens, I don’t know. I think if we just stuck with the comic book, we’ve still got another three years. We do deviate a lot, but I think there’s probably a good three years of material there.”"

I believe he is correct in that timeline, if they follow the comic story. But, we all know showrunners have used comic story content but it never follows exactly. Adding in new storylines for the current characters as well as adding in new characters can change that timeline drastically. Critics have been speaking very positively about the season 10 premiere. If season 10 continues the upswing that season 9 started I believe the longevity of the show can continue and this can lead to many fans returning to watch the show.

Negan, portrayed by Morgan, hasn’t even met the Whisperers yet and I believe there could be an amazing storyline there. We will be losing Michonne, which is a sad thing because I believe she is a powerhouse in this series. But, I don’t think we have yet to see the full potential of Carol Peletier. She is a strong character who hasn’t received the recognition she deserves in the show. She is without a doubt one of the most popular characters so I say let’s give her more screen time and a story worthy of her.

We have seven characters who recently became series regulars:  Cailey Fleming (Judith), Cassady McClincy (Lydia), Cooper Andrews (Jerry), Nadia Hilker (Magna), Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko), Lauren Ridloff (Connie), and Ryan Hurst (Beta). There are many storylines there that I would love to see. Like a flashback story with Magna and company and learn more about them. I would love for Jerry to have a much bigger part. He adds great comic relief but, I feel there is much more to Jerry than meets the eye.

Fans can look forward to the season 10 premiere on October 6th at 9 pm on AMC.