10 Things We Want to See From the ‘Walking Dead’ Shows in 2022

The next year promises to be a big one for all things The Walking Dead, from returning favorite characters to the conclusion of the main show. Here’s what we’re hoping for when AMC’s zombie dramas pick up again.

Josh Stringer/AMC

Less Reapers, More Commonwealth

Including the Reapers and incorporating Leah (Lynn Collins) into their villainous group was all fine and good, but…when all was said and done, they didn’t really do much of anything. If we’re honest, we’re far more interested in the mysterious Commonwealth, which seems to have a definite darkness lurking beneath its gilded surface. Here’s hoping the Reapers either get more interesting now that Leah’s officially in charge, or that particular plot wraps up quickly to give the source material story time to shine.

Answers on Daryl’s Love Life

Okay, technically, we already have an answer. That said, we have a really hard time believing Leah is Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) “endgame,” especially considering how she betrayed him. Assuming they’re done, at this point, it seems like there are three options as far as Daryl’s love life goes: Carol (Melissa McBride), Connie (Lauren Ridloff), or no one at all. Given how gigantic of a subject Daryl’s romantic connections have been throughout the series’ 11 seasons, we’re looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

Josh Stringer/AMC

Uh, Does Anybody Remember Alden?

Is he still sitting in that church? We haven’t heard much of anything about the mortally wounded former Savior since early Season 11 when Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and team left him behind at his request so they could focus on the mission. All things considered, we’re pretty concerned about him. Here’s hoping he just survived, somehow.

Those Deaths from the Comics

Readers of the source material know we have two major deaths yet to come in the Commonwealth arc. Since neither of these characters are anywhere near the action, it doesn’t feel like a spoiler to say that in the comics, those demises belong to Dwight (Austin Amelio) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln). TWD is unlikely to kill off either of them in Season 11 (Dwight is over on Fear, and we still don’t know what’s going on with Rick), but those endings are given to other characters, we’re wondering who might go next.

Eli Ade/AMC

More About the Carol-Daryl Spinoff

It might not air until fall of 2023, but we’re desperate for any crumbs AMC drop about the spinoff show devoted to this beloved duo. We’re assuming the show confirms they both make it to the end of Season 11, but other than that, we don’t know anything about the plot, the other characters or the setting. Are they going to New Mexico? Are they going to find Rick? Is Dog going with them? Details, please!

Rick? Please?

At the very least, an update on the movies would be nice. But with the flagship series concluding in 2022, we can’t imagine bidding farewell to it without either seeing Rick again or at least getting some solid answers as to where he is and why he hasn’t come home. The TWD finale would be a perfect time to have him resurface: He could reunite with his daughter, Judith (Cailey Fleming), meet his son, and, of course, see Daryl again. While we’re at it, some answers about Michonne (Danai Gurira)—or even a return appearance—would be pretty awesome, too.

A Few “Big Deaths”—but Happy Endings, Too

Throughout its seasons, TWD was known for killing off characters in shocking, heartbreaking ways. In the spirit of those early installments, we’re hoping the show has a few more surprises up its sleeve as far as unexpected ends. But if most of the main characters aren’t making the jump to the Daryl-Carol spinoff, we hope some of them get happy conclusions. It can’t all be doom and gloom for these long-suffering survivors.

Interesting Stories From Tales

Tales of the Walking Dead will be a first for the zombie franchise in that it’ll tell a series of self-contained stories rather than devoting itself to an overall arc. We’re crossing our fingers that some of our favorite characters from seasons past might return—or we might get answers about those terrifying fast zombies from the World Beyond postcredits scene. Either way, we can’t wait to see what the show brings us this summer.

Michael Desmond/AMC

More Madison Clark…

She’s back! After close to four years of fans doubting that Fear‘s Madison (Kim Dickens) had really died at the Dell Diamond in Season 4’s midseason finale, AMC confirmed that Madison is, indeed, still alive. Dickens will return in Season 7 and star as a regular in Season 8. We’re excited to learn how she escaped all those burning walkers and what she was doing in the year between her “death” and the current timeline. Plus, it’ll be interesting to see how she fits into the current group dynamic…and how she reacts when she learns her son is dead.

…and More Alicia Clark, Too

Really, we’d just like to see the Clark family get more screen time in 2022. Alicia’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) story in the first half of Season 7 felt oddly truncated—although that might’ve been the result of pandemic restrictions—so we’re hoping she gets more time to shine now that she’s going to war with Strand (Colman Domingo). And, obviously, we’re hoping she’s not actually dying of the zombie virus. Or dying at all.

The Walking Dead, Season 11 returns Sunday, Feb. 20, 9/8c, AMC

Fear the Walking Dead, Season 7 returns Sunday, April 17, AMC

Tales of the Walking Dead, Series premiere, Summer, AMC