A potential Rick Grimes spinoff of AMC's is now a reality, as announced at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con, however, the exciting news could also mean that season 11 is doomed to disappoint. Andrew Lincoln's return as Rick Grimes to series has been speculated about ever since his spectacular exit from the show in season 9, as he blew up a bridge full of walkers to protect his friends and the safe havens they created. For several years, it was thought that Rick's return would be in a trilogy of movies, but that idea has since been canned in favor of a which will air in 2023.
A reunion between lovers Rick and Michonne seemed inevitable ever since Danai Gurira's character left Judith and the survivors to track down Rick. The upcoming series is described (via ) as an and will give ample opportunity for Rick to fulfill several of his largest comic book moments, such as his famous speech that concludes Although no plot details have been released about Rick and Michonne's series, expect to see Jadis and the CRM who were responsible for saving Rick and taking him away from Daryl and co. for several years.
Answering the is only one reason why Rick and Michonne's show is great news. The show also promises to conclude Rick and Michonne's arcs and brings Andrew Lincoln to the series that he is most revered. Despite how great it is that Rick Grimes is getting a follow-up to , it does pose a serious problem for 's final season. Namely, the excitement that Rick's show creates also negates the excitement for season 11, part 3, which should ultimately be the pinnacle of a series that has stretched on for over 10 years.
season 11 already had an ending problem before the Rick and Michonne show was announced. Since the show's pilot in 2010, it has created some beloved characters, however, the franchise is not prepared to let go of many of them. It's already confirmed that show, as will Daryl Dixon (Melissa McBride's Carol has dropped out of the project). By announcing these spinoffs before the culmination of season 11, audiences know that the show's biggest characters are safe and thus, the only thing being killed is the ending's suspense. The announcement of Rick Grimes' show only serves to exacerbate an existing problem - audiences will be more concerned with how season 11 ties into future projects than they will be about how it ends. As such, audiences know that this ending isn't really the end.
Although is no longer solely about the story of Rick Grimes, Rick remains its biggest character. Even with his absence from the show, the story of cannot come full circle until Rick's ultimate fate has been revealed. While the has been undermined by the existence of a Rick Grimes follow-up, it has been nullified further by the fact Rick's show is only around the corner. With Rick's show supposedly releasing in 2023, it just feels like another season of with a similar gap between content. Audiences always knew that season 11 wasn't the end of the series, but any sense of finality is now null and void, with only the Commonwealth arc likely to get any proper conclusion.
season 11, part 3 returns to AMC on October 2nd 2022.
