The Walking Dead season 6

Survivors face a massive herd and new hostile communities.

The sixth season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, aired from October 11, 2015, to April 3, 2016, across 16 episodes. Developed by Frank Darabont and based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, the season adapts material from issues #78–100 of the comics. It introduces notable characters such as Heath, Dr. Denise Cloyd, Dwight, Paul "Jesus" Rovia, Gregory, and Negan.

Quick Facts

Season number: 6
Showrunner: Scott M. Gimple
Network: AMC
First aired: 11 October 2015
Last aired: 3 April 2016
Episodes: 16

Facts from the source article.

Cast

The sixth season of the show has eighteen regular cast members. Ten of them get their names in the opening credits, while the other eight are listed as "Also starring." Sonequa Martin-Green and Lennie James moved up to the opening credits after being in the "Also starring" group before. Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn Rhee, had his name taken out of the opening credits after the episode "Thank You" but it came back for "Heads Up."

Alexandra Breckenridge, Ross Marquand, Austin Nichols, and Tovah Feldshuh were bumped up from recurring roles to "Also starring." Andrew Lincoln is Rick Grimes, the main character who tries to keep his violent side in check while building a safe home for his kids. Norman Reedus is Daryl Dixon, the group's top hunter and a recruiter for Alexandria. Steven Yeun is Glenn Rhee, Maggie's brave and helpful husband.

Lauren Cohan is Maggie Greene, Glenn's determined wife and the only one left from her family. Chandler Riggs is Carl Grimes, Rick's teenage son trying to grow up in a broken world. Danai Gurira is Michonne, a tough fighter with a katana who lost her own family. Melissa McBride is Carol Peletier, a former abuse victim who became a hard-edged survivor after her daughter died.

Michael Cudlitz is Sergeant Abraham Ford, an ex-military man. Lennie James is Morgan Jones, the first person Rick met in season one, now at peace. Sonequa Martin-Green is Sasha Williams, a former firefighter dealing with PTSD. Josh McDermitt is Eugene Porter, a survivor Abraham saved who pretended to be a scientist.

Christian Serratos is Rosita Espinosa, a practical optimist and Abraham's girlfriend. Alanna Masterson is Tara Chambler, once on the Governor's side and the last of her family. Seth Gilliam is Gabriel Stokes, a priest trying to make up for his past. Alexandra Breckenridge is Jessie Anderson, an Alexandria woman who lived with an abusive husband.

Production

AMC renewed The Walking Dead for a sixth season on October 7, 2014. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple stated that the season would continue to remix material from the comic and include flashback backstories for some characters. Filming began in Senoia, Georgia, in early May 2015 and concluded on November 17, 2015. The season contained three extended episodes airing in 90-minute time slots: the season premiere, the fourth episode, and the season finale.

Corey Hawkins was cast as Heath, a supply runner and loyal friend to Glenn Rhee. Merritt Wever joined the cast as Dr. Denise Cloyd, and Ethan Embry also joined. Xander Berkeley was announced in September 2015 for an unknown recurring role debuting in the second half of the season, later confirmed as Gregory. Tom Payne joined as Hilltop recruiter Paul Monroe.

On November 10, 2015, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was cast as Negan. Alanna Masterson, who portrays Tara Chambler, took maternity leave from the episode "Not Tomorrow Yet" as she was nine months pregnant during filming; she was absent from the final four episodes, with her character going on a two-week supply run.

Reception

The sixth season received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it held a score of 79 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews based on 10 critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season held a 76% rating with an average of 7.4 out of 10 based on 512 reviews, with the critical consensus stating: "Six seasons in, The Walking Dead is still finding ways to top itself, despite slow patches that do little to advance the plot. Matt Fowler of IGN gave a 6.8/10 rating, praising the Morgan flashback episode "Here's Not Here", Carol's arc, and a string of violent episodes in the second half, but criticizing Glenn's fake death and other cheap fake outs.

Glenn's apparent death in the third episode "Thank You" was a major source of controversy. The Hollywood Reporter heavily criticized the decision, with Daniel Fienberg expressing apathy and Tim Goodman expressing shock at the concept of Glenn potentially being alive. When Glenn was revealed alive in the seventh episode "Heads Up", The Hollywood Reporter declared the show had "lost its credibility".