The highly anticipated “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,” premiering on AMC on Feb. 25, marks the return of two of the series’ most beloved characters. It should be exciting news, but in a “Walking Dead” universe that still feels oversaturated with content, even a sequel series centered on the franchise’s most iconic couple has the ability to disappoint.
Season 9 of “The Walking Dead,” which aired in November 2018, marked the last regular appearance of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), its main protagonist. After seemingly sacrificing himself to save his community, Rick was rescued by his mysterious occasional ally, Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), and taken by helicopter to the Civic Republic, a massive civilization ruled by a military junta known as the CRM. His wife, Michonne (Danai Gurira), left the series the following season to search for him.
Creators: Scott M. Gimple, Danai Gurira, Andrew Lincoln
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Pollyanna McIntosh
Rumors that Rick was gone from the franchise for good were greatly exaggerated, of course; not only was he still alive, but his final appearance on “The Walking Dead” was immediately followed by an announcement that Rick’s story would eventually continue through a series of films. A number of factors conspired to keep these films in development hell for several years, including scheduling issues, COVID delays and a diminished appetite for theatrical releases on streaming services.
Meanwhile, far from dooming “The Walking Dead,” Rick’s departure from the flagship series almost seemed to have a galvanizing effect. And while it would be a stretch to say that Rick and Michonne weren’t missed at all, fans’ appetite for their story did wane somewhat in light of the series’ continued success.
Eventually, the project evolved into a limited-run series, similar to last year’s “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.” When it comes to “The Ones Who Live,” though, it’s evident in the pacing that this story wasn’t meant to be told as a miniseries.
Its genesis as a movie sometimes works in its favor: The opening scenes of the first episode feature a gruesome, bold nod to the comic book series that sets up a high stakes for the series and can only be described as “cinematic.” Unfortunately, the action stalls a bit after that, as the story backtracks and zooms out to contextualize the frame.
Following this scene, “The Ones Who Live” picks up the action six years after Rick’s rescue. He’s now living in the Civic Republic between repeated attempts to return to his family and community, all of which are roundly thwarted by CRM soldiers.
CRM has made frequent, mysterious appearances throughout the franchise, most notably as the main antagonists of “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.” Four episodes into “The Ones Who Live,” some loose ends have been tied up regarding their previous appearances, but the series has yet to reveal much in the way of meaningful new world-building, and their motivations remain murky. It shouldn’t be necessary to watch “World Beyond” to understand how the CRM works, but at the same time, without a fresh angle to heighten the threat they brought to “World Beyond,” the CRM’s presence here feels like a rehash, and it’s hard to believe they’re compelling villains.
The Rick Grimes we meet in “The Ones Who Live” is far less intense than his Alexandria counterpart. In the early scenes, Lincoln approaches the role with a certain detachment. While this choice mostly works for the character, given everything Rick has survived in the Civic Republic, it’s harder to reconcile him with the Rick from “The Walking Dead” at first. As the story unfolds over the first three episodes, shades of the old Rick begin to appear; By the start of Episode 4, Lincoln has fully returned to Rick's rhythms, but he never comes close to the sheer ferocity of Rick Grimes at his peak in "Walking Dead."
Meanwhile, Michonne, who left Alexandria midway through Season 10 to search for Rick, has made friends and enemies along the way. Gurira has always been amazing in this role, and taking a few years off to focus on her responsibilities to Wakanda's royal family hasn't made her rusty. She slips back into Michonne's skin much more easily than Lincoln does into Rick's, and as a result, Michonne's journey at first feels like the stronger of the two parallel stories. However, her quest also moves along at a relatively calm pace.
As Rick and Michonne try to find their way back to each other, they forge relationships with a new cast of fully realized supporting characters, and Lincoln and Gurira have ample chemistry with their respective characters.
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