Melissa McBride: Thinking of The Walking Dead ending is “very difficult”

The Walking Dead is coming to an end, and cast member Melissa McBride finds it “very difficult” to think about. She’s not alone.

The Walking Dead will be over before we know it, which is difficult to comprehend given how long it’s been around. But lo and behold, within the last year, AMC finally revealed that the series would be coming to an end after season 11.

Cast members have been grappling with his news in their own ways. That includes Melissa McBride, who plays the fierce Carol Peletier. Speaking with Digital Spy, McBride said “it’s heavy to think about” the ending when she’s been involved with the show from the very beginning, and had forged so many friendships over the years.

"That will never go away. We will always have the shared experience. And leaving it – there’s this whole ocean of work; there’s so much material that we’re all very proud of. Again, the shared creative experience of being a part of this Robert Kirkman world that overtook so much – it just became such a big thing. To think of that coming to any sort of end is very difficult."

But even though the flagship series is on its way out, there’s plenty more Walking Dead to come. We’ve still got Fear The Walking Dead, one more series of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the Rick Grimes movies, and more, including a spin-off for Carol and Daryl (Norman Reedus), so McBride isn’t giving up the zombie-killing business.

“[I]t feels like it’s not really ending,” McBride said, accurately. “I know that with such a talented cast, and the writers, there will be more opportunities for everyone, I think, as a springboard to other projects.”

Unfortunately, The Carol and Daryl Show (or whatever it ends up being called) won’t premiere until 2023, but it’s something to look forward to, nonetheless.

The Walking Dead is currently airing six extra episodes of season 10, including a Negan-centric episode, “Here’s Negan,” that will star Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s wife Hilarie Burton as Negan’s wife Lucille. The final season will begin airing episodes starting this summer and presumably will stretch its final 24 episodes into 2022.

So much Walking Dead, so little time!

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime, and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels