Walking Dead fans don't let too many years go by without asking about Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln's sheriff-turned-survivor-turned-leader was the face of the franchise for a decade, bringing so many people together and stopping at nothing to ensure his loved ones survived. But the character was written off The Walking Dead in its ninth season when Lincoln left the show, having a believable send-off that had those around him thinking their leader had died.
Rick resurfaced years later in the series finale of the original show in a scene that set the stage for his spinoff series The Ones Who Live, in which Lincoln reunited with Danai Gurira to complete Rick and Michonne's love story. The six episode miniseries received critical acclaim and, seemingly brought an end to the characters' arcs. And yet, it feels like we haven't seen the last of the franchise's face.
You don't have to take my word for it, though. Lincoln himself has addressed the possibility of a return multiple times, with his most recent comments being the most exciting of all.
Andrew Lincoln has addressed Rick Grimes return possibility many times
Andrew Lincoln's most recent comments about a potential return to The Walking Dead franchise as Rick Grimes sent the internet into meltdown. While promoting his play The Lady from the Sea on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg in September 2025, he was asked about whether he would ever consider returning to the TWD Universe, prompting the unexpectedly direct response: "Yeah, well, there’s a conversation happening right now."
The upfront nature of the response caught a lot of people off-guard as it was pretty much accepted that, for now at least, Rick's story was finished. Although there have been a multitude of rumors about an inevitable comeback to see the franchise off, it wasn't anticipated in the near-future. After all, TWD fans were surprised by the pretty definitive conclusion to The Ones Who Live, which wasn't described as a miniseries until the finale aired. And therefore, it was considered the conclusion of Rick's story.
The series finale saw Rick and Michonne defeat the Civic Republic Military once and for all, allowing them to freely return home to Alexandria and reunite with their children Judith and RJ. In that moment, it became clear that it was the end of the road for the spinoff as it had accomplished the one thing it set out to do: Complete Rick and Michonne's story.
But Lincoln never stopped offering up teases that there could be more to the story down the line. Back when The Ones Who Live's finale aired, he praised the chance to return to the role of Rick for this series, while also suggesting that there could be more opportunities for a sophomore outing, telling Entertainment Weekly that there is an "infinite chance" for a second season "to happen, but I have no idea when. It's about an irresistible story."
As for what that return could look like, Lincoln was also asked about this by EW, who inquired about a potential second season of his own spinoff. His response opened with a promising "Never say never." He then theorized about what that could lead to:
"There are other very important characters in the universe that are still wandering around and alive that I think it might be quite exciting to have them breathe the same air and see how long they survive together. But it's a difficult one. It would have to be like this, a really exciting story.
If a second season of The Ones Who Live doesn't happen, there are two other likely places that we could see Rick Grimes return. The first is the upcoming series finale of fellow spinoff Daryl Dixon. The Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride-led spinoff took Daryl and Carol to Europe for four seasons, but they have been attempting to find their way back to the US ever since. Now that we know Rick is back in Alexandria, chances are that Daryl and Carol could end up reuniting with him and Michonne in the final episode of that series. It would be a cameo appearance, but certainly worth it nonetheless.
The second option is the much more exciting one. There have long been rumors of a TWD crossover spinoff that would serve as a reunion for the main characters of the three separate spinoffs, bringing the cast and characters of The Ones Who Live, Daryl Dixon, and Dead City back together - facilitating a larger-scale reunion between Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Carol, Maggie, and Negan. Recent comments from Walking Dead director Greg Nicotero have suggested that there have also been talks of that crossover coming to the screen, so it sounds like it could be a feasible possibility in the future.
With all of that in mind, Rick Grimes' initial TWD story might be over, but there is still scope for another one to be told someday. Andrew Lincoln sounds like he would be on-board for another short season if they can make it work and, with rumors of that crossover reunion beginning to gain more momentum than ever (and Lincoln himself in talks for a comeback), we might just see our beloved sheriff back on our screens in the not-too-distant future.