The Walking Dead: Why Andrew Lincoln's departure is a death knell for the series

The series simply won't be as good without its lead character

Nobody could have anticipated the phenomenon The Walking Dead would become when it aired its modest six-episode debut back in 2010. Eight years on and it's spawned just as many seasons with a ninth (and counting) to come filled with characters up there in the cultural familiarity stakes alongside those from Game of Thrones, Lost and Breaking Bad.

Today (30 May) saw the bombshell news that its lead star Andrew Lincoln will be phased out of the show during the next season. Quite how this will occur remains to be seen, but he'll appear in just six of the run's 16 episodes with Norman Reedus' fan favourite Daryl Dixon promoted to main character duties in his absence. This news is a lot for fans to take in and simply put, should spell the end of the AMC zombie series.

Full disclosure: I am a loyal follower of The Walking Dead who has been slightly disconcerted by the series' recent evolution into a punching bag for disillusioned viewers who are much happier to focus on the cons as opposed to the show's several pros. The series may be nowhere near close to being as great as it once was yet it remains admirable just how effectively - and willingly, it should be said - the series continues to shed its skin and evolve. Would I have forgiven Lost similar misgivings? Not a chance - however, that show demanded intricate continuity. In essence, The Walking Dead is more long-running soap than meticulously planned drama hence why the producers feel they can continue the show without its lead characters.

In fairness, its most recent season - which saw the conclusion of All Out War - provided proof that The Walking Dead boasted an ensemble that could drop its lead character for multiple episodes at a time and still keep delivering the goods. This can and will continue to happen in countless TV shows. Take, for instance, The Wire season 4 which essentially reduced Dominic West's McNulty to a cameo in his own series - something that inspired Damon Lindelof to drop respective Lost and The Leftovers characters Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox) and Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) for several instalments without ever losing sight of the fact that these shows couldn't survive without them.

Rick Grimes is The Walking Dead's raison d'être and, for that reason, news of his departure - and the lack of an endgame - is troubling.

In recent seasons, it’s become clear that AMC has been trying to turn The Walking Dead into a bankable franchise. Case in point: Fear the Walking Dead, the spinoff that was always set to remain separate from the main show, began charting the run-up to the apocalypse through the eyes of the Clark family in Los Angeles. Four successful and rather terrific seasons later and the show is now split across two timelines, one of which has overtaken The Walking Dead and has ensnared one of its main characters, Lennie James' Morgan Jones. It's reportedly the first of several planned crossovers.

Former showrunner Scott Gimple's new employment as the leader of "the content that fuels" the show's universe suggests that an endgame may have been discussed but is nowhere in sight - a worrying notion without Rick Grimes there to anchor proceedings.

Rick's departure is an understandable decision for British actor Lincoln who has likely had his fill of upping sticks to Atlanta every year and turning down countless roles due to his long-term commitment, but to let him go is to give the series a shelf life - and there's no shame in recognising that. This was the perfect time for producers to reassure long-term fans that they are on top of everything. Instead, it's come with the bittersweet news that Reedus will become one of TV's highest-paid stars as lead duties fall to Daryl, a character whose fan favourite status stemmed from being the ice cool supporting player alongside Rick's dominant hero. His likability may have just been compromised.

Surely it would have been better to share lead duties with the show's other remaining original star Melissa McBride? Her role as Carol Peletier has arguably made the actress equally as if not more deserving of a pay-rise than any of her co-stars. Still, whatever happens, it’s almost certain the doors will be left open for Rick’s return in a future season: the character may have earned a break from all the doom and gloom that's been thrown his way since the debut episode, but after an eight-year investment, the viewers have earned the right to see Rick again at some stage in the future. Who knows, perhaps for an all-star final season mash-up that'll see Fear's characters collide with Daryl, Rosita and company?

The Walking Dead may survive without Rick but putting its hopes on an ensemble of, quite frankly, less interesting characters is a risk. Rick has and always will remain the show's pull, an on-screen reminder that as long as he's about, The Walking Dead should remain a permanent fixture in the TV schedules. His departure will be a gargantuan nail in the show's coffin.

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