The Walking Dead season 10

Cast

The tenth season of the show has twenty regular cast members. Seven actors who previously appeared in recurring roles were promoted to series regulars: Ryan Hurst, Eleanor Matsuura, Cooper Andrews, Nadia Hilker, Cailey Fleming, Cassady McClincy, and Lauren Ridloff. Hurst appears in the opening credits, while the others are listed as "also starring." Starting with episode 17, Lauren Cohan rejoined the opening credits and became a series regular again.

Norman Reedus plays Daryl Dixon, a southerner who was Rick's second-in-command and a skilled hunter. Danai Gurira is Michonne, a warrior who uses a katana and was Rick's romantic partner. Melissa McBride portrays Carol Peletier, a survivor who has endured many traumas. Christian Serratos plays Rosita Espinosa, a practical group member.

Josh McDermitt is Eugene Porter, a clever survivor. Seth Gilliam plays Gabriel Stokes, a priest who leads Alexandria's council. Ross Marquand appears as Aaron, a recruiter from Alexandria who lost an arm. Khary Payton is Ezekiel, the former Kingdom leader.

Ryan Hurst plays Beta, the Whisperers' second-in-command. Samantha Morton is Alpha, the Whisperers' leader. Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays Negan, the reformed former Savior leader. Lauren Cohan plays Maggie Greene, Glenn's widow and ex-Hilltop leader. Callan McAuliffe is Alden, a former Savior.

Production

Season 10 of The Walking Dead was given the green light in February 2019, with cameras starting to roll that May. Andrew Lincoln had hoped to direct an episode that season but couldn't make it work due to scheduling conflicts. Michael Cudlitz, who had directed in season 9, stepped behind the camera for the fourth and seventh episodes of the new season. The initial order of 16 episodes wrapped production in November 2019.

Filming picked back up in October 2020 for six extra episodes, which marked a shift from 16 mm film to digital, a change driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for fewer physical touch points. Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, announced her departure from the show in February 2019, appearing in only a few episodes spread across the season. She confirmed her exit at San Diego Comic-Con that July. Thora Birch and Kevin Carroll joined the cast that same month, with Birch taking on the role of Gamma, a member of the Whisperers, and Carroll playing Virgil, a survivor searching for his family.

Showrunner Angela Kang addressed Lauren Cohan's status as Maggie Greene in July 2019, saying, "I'll just say that we're working on it." Cohan had left the show in season 9 to star in Whiskey Cavalier, which was canceled after one season. In October 2019, Kang confirmed Cohan would return as a regular in season 11, while hinting at a possible appearance in the second half of season 10. The teaser for "A Certain Doom," which aired after "The Tower," confirmed Maggie's return.

One of the extended episodes delves into Negan's past, introducing his wife Lucille, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's real-life spouse, Hilarie Burton. On November 19, 2020, Robert Patrick and Okea Eme-Akwari were announced as new characters Mays and Elijah for those bonus episodes.

Release

The first look at season 10 arrived at San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2019, and AMC Premiere subscribers could stream the premiere on September 29, 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a delay for the finale, originally set for April 12, 2020; it eventually aired on October 4, 2020, after post-production was halted by state shutdown orders. The episode "Home Sweet Home" debuted a week early on AMC+ on February 21, 2021, before its Sunday television broadcast. The full 22-episode season hit Blu-ray and DVD on July 20, 2021, featuring audio commentaries and an "In Memoriam" featurette.

Reception

Critics were mostly kind to The Walking Dead's tenth season. On Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 77% approval rating and an average score of 7 out of 10 from 392 reviews. The site's critical consensus noted that some changes in front of and behind the camera allowed the show to make room for fresh, interesting stories and some genuinely frightening new villains. Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com described the premiere as a "perfect return," while Alex Zalben of Decider called it "gross, scary, and big budget storytelling the way only Walking Dead can do," adding that the season was off to a promising start.

Paul Tassi of Forbes praised the writing and direction, saying the show was still in a good place. After seeing the first three episodes, Tassi reported that they were all good, with each one better than the last, and that they reinforced his confidence in showrunner Angela Kang, proving season 9 wasn't a fluke. Cameron Bonomolo of ComicBook.com highlighted the horror elements, stating the season recaptured the raw realism of the first season and felt like a genuine horror movie, using atmosphere, tension, and jump scares.

The tenth season also scored five nominations at the upcoming 46th Saturn Awards: Best Horror Television Series (the show's fifth consecutive nomination, having won the previous four), Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series for Norman Reedus (his fourth nomination), Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series for Melissa McBride (her seventh consecutive nomination, with two consecutive wins), Best Performance by a Younger Actor on a Television Series for Cassady McClincy, and Best Guest Starring Performance on a Television Series for Jeffrey Dean Morgan (his fourth consecutive nomination, with two wins).