The Walking Dead has one of the biggest casts in TV history. Every season, there were new characters introduced and killed off. With so much change, the show had to make a lot of hard choices about which characters got a lot of time and story while others were reserved to the sidelines for key moments.
Over the years, The Walking Dead, to its detriment at times, routinely focused on a handful of main characters. For a five-season show, that works. For an 11-season show, many characters and their stories fell by the wayside to allow those main characters to flourish.
I picked five Walking Dead characters who deserved more screentime in the show's 11-season run on AMC.
Carl Grimes
Carl Grimes, played by Chandler Riggs, was set up to fail in The Walking Dead more than any other character. Early in the series, there was so much development with Carl's character, and it reached a point that was annoying at times for viewers. Then, when Carl actually became a compelling character with a clear future, the series chose to kill him off.
In another timeline, I like to imagine a series that, instead of doubling down over and over on Rick, would have chosen to set up the story for Carl to flourish. The Last of Us just pulled it off, so we know it's possible. It just takes deft writing to make that happen. In the end, The Walking Dead chose a different direction.
There's no doubt that Carl is one of the most underrated characters who deserved a bigger role in the series, but he's also a character who didn't deserve the ending he got. Unfortunately, that list is quite long.
Beth Greene
Beth Greene, played by Emily Kinney, has an interesting start in The Walking Dead. For the first few seasons on the show, she's more of a reserve who relies on the strength and courage of others to protect her. Then, she has this epic character arc and transition that leads to her being taken captive at the hospital by Dawn Learner.
Beth was everything that The Walking Dead could have been in the future. She was no longer the person who needed rescuing. She had the ability to be so much more than that, but the show robbed fans, in some ways, with the way her story ended.
We all know how Beth dies. Like Carl, Beth is another character who deserved a bigger role, but she also died way too soon. I know a lot of fans point to Glenn's death as the moment that changed everything in the series, but Beth's death is really the beginning of the end of The Walking Dead as we knew it. After season 5, the show really struggled to find its legs for the remainder of the series.
Tyreese Williams
Tyreese Williams, played by Chad Coleman, is one my favorite characters in The Walking Dead. He's incredibly crucial during the battles with the Governor in season 3 after joining Rick's group at the prison. While Rick and the group don't trust him at first, he quickly earns their trust and shows just what kind of person he can be for their group.
To me, Tyreese represents the best of Rick's decisions. They easily could have turned Tyreese and Sasha away at the prison or killed them, but they eventually accepted them into the group, and it worked out.
Unfortunately, Ty also represents the worst parts of The Walking Dead in a lot of ways. The show introduced a great character and then killed him off in the worst way possible, on an unnecessary mission. I simply don't think that Ty would let his guard down to be bitten by a walker the way he was. The Walking Dead, in my opinion, started killing off a lot of characters around this point (season 5) to shock the audience rather than tell a compelling story.
If I had my way, Tyreese would have continued to keep Rick and the group in check during even more important battles to come.
T-Dog
T-Dog, played by IronE Singleton, is one of the best characters of The Walking Dead's first three seasons. Unfortunately, he didn't live longer than that, but he definitely deserved a bigger role than he had.
For most of his time on the series, T-Dog is an influential member of the group. He routinely puts himself in harm's way to help others. He's also a positive influence in Rick's life and helps Rick embrace the leader he will become. In the end, T-Dog died the way he lived by saving Carol's life at the prison.
For me, T-Dog just should have been a bigger presence in the series. At times, the show needed a moral compass, and it always defaulted to Rick. I understand that he's the star of the show, but T-Dog needed to be more than a supporting character in this journey.
Cyndie
Cyndie, played by Sydney Park, is the most interesting character from the latter seasons of The Walking Dead. She's a key player in season 9, which is the best season of the series after season 5 or season 6, and she represents something that's bigger than the story.
When we meet Cyndie, she's part of the Oceanside community who basically takes no chances when it comes to adding outsiders to the community until Cyndie has her way. I love when a character has some resolve and empathy for others, even if it leads them down a more difficult path. That's exactly what happens with Cyndie's story. While she's never a main character, so to speak, I would have rather spent more time with Cyndie than some of the other characters the show focused on.
I've always wondered if a Cyndie spinoff could be in the works or if The Walking Dead would reintroduce her character in Daryl Dixon or Dead City. I have a feeling that would be a really cool moment and story should that happen.
Shane Walsh
Shane Walsh, played by Jon Bernthal, is one of the most integral characters of the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. There are a lot of key players, but Shane is key to the story. It's hard to argue that he deserved a bigger role in those seasons, but I do think there's a case that Shane, as such an important character, deserved more than he got.
Most of Shane's story revolved around his situation, falling in love with Rick's wife, Lori, and feuding with Rick over personal drama and his feeling that he should lead the group. Shane should have had more of an opportunity to settle in with the group.
I'm torn on this last pick, but I think my justification makes sense. The Walking Dead was so great at the beginning because it did a terrific job controlling the stakes and building these characters. There was so much development early in the series that paved the way for what came later.
There's no doubt that Shane is one of the best characters in the entire series, but we only have fewer than 20 episodes with him. If Shane had been introduced just a few seasons later, he probably would have lasted for 50-60 episodes, just based on how many episodes were in each season. His arc, at that point, would look so different than it did in the first few seasons.
Because he's such a great character, he definitely deserved a bigger role. He was so important to the story and love triangle, if you want to call it that, with Lori and Rick. Shane needed time to figure out his place in the world after it all fell apart. I would have loved it if Rick had banished Shane from the group to find his own way rather than what happened.