The Walking Dead: The 5 Best Season Finales (& 5 Worst) – According To IMDb

The Walking Dead is one of the longest running and most successful TV shows on air today, and it really put AMC on the map when it came to creating hit shows. Of course, after 10 seasons on air, the show has had it’s ups and downs, and with that have come season finales that were both epic and epically disappointing.

Fan response to the finales for each season has been somewhat mixed, some finales were great and others were just mediocre, and that response is pretty clearly reflected in the IMDb ratings of each finale. These are all of TWD‘s finales, ranked by rating.

10 Season 6 – Last Day On Earth (6.6)

Nearly a full point rating below the second-lowest rated season finale, clearly “Last Day On Earth” didn’t charm audiences. It’s not hard to see why though.

The bulk of the finale revolves around the group just trying to find a free route to get Maggie to Hilltop, and after many episodes of buildup, Negan’s introduction felt a little flat. Not to mention, the finale left off on an enormous cliffhanger.

9 Season 8 – Wrath (7.5)

It’s understandable after such a huge buildup and after a long focus on Negan and the Saviors, they had to be a pretty formidable enemy.

However, the resolution of the Saviors storyline felt a little weak. After a war that has lasted more than a season, the Saviors are finally felled by one sneaky move on Eugene’s part. And then when Rick and Negan finally face off, Rick slits Negan’s throat, but then has someone sew it back up.

8 Season 7 – The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life (7.6)

This season finale seemed to be mostly driven by one thing, the fact that the actress who played Sasha had to be written off very quickly.

With that in mind, it’s not a terrible finale, but the roundabout way in which Sasha uses her own death as a weapon against Negan to help her friends, and the fact that her weird plan actually works, stretches the bounds of believability.

7 Season 9 – The Storm (7.7)

For this particular season, The Walking Dead pulled a bit of a Game of Thrones move and made it’s penultimate episode into the big moment of the season (and that episode “The Calm Before,” wound up with a 9.4 IMDb rating, so the gamble was apparently worth it).

However, this is still a solid finale all things considered, and the sojourn through a massive storm was both interesting and a wonderful change up of scenery.

6 Season 3 – Welcome to the Tombs (8.2)

Although Andrea was never a fan favorite, her exit episode made for a pretty great season finale. After spending the season trying to reconcile Rick’s group and the Governor’s, Andrea winds up being bitten by a walker as a part of the Governor’s machinations, and decides to kill herself before making the turn.

However, Andrea’s wish ultimately came true even if she didn’t survive to see it, as the remaining Woodbury residents joined forces with Rick after the Governor massacred many of them.

5 Season 10 – A Certain Doom (8.4)

It says a lot about the sustained quality of The Walking Dead that season 10’s finale (or at least it’s current finale, as season 10 added on an extra batch of episodes recently) is so highly rated.

But after Alpha was killed and Beta seemingly lost it, it was obviously only a matter of time before the Whisperers and their super horde met their end. Thankfully, the group managed to dispatch both without suffering major losses.

4 Season 1 – TS-19 (8.7)

In the first season of The Walking Dead when most of the characters were still hopeful and innocent, it seemed like the CDC was the potential oasis that they had been hoping for.

The group was initially thrilled to gain admittance to this incredibly safe and secure place, but that relief turned to dread when they realized that the only surviving doctor was just waiting out the literal clock until the entire facility would be destroyed, destroying him and Rick’s group along with it.

3 Season 2 – Beside The Dying Fire (9.2)

Obviously the whole issue of finding a place that seems safe only to see that place ruined is a running theme throughout the series, but it seemed like the farm might be a permanent safe haven for the ever-expanding group.

After a good run of peace and solitude with a few close calls, the farm is finally overrun by a massive herd of walkers, leaving this tight-knit squad separated and adrift.

2 Season 4 – A (9.2)

After ten years of apocalyptic shenanigans, it’s hard to shock any TWD fans. But in season 4, the notion of a highly organized squad of cannibals was still unexpected.

After having a very close call with the Claimers where Rick took an incredibly dark turn, it seems like the separated group is finally going to rally in a safe place called Terminus. Little do they all know, it’s a trap.

1 Season 5 – Conquer (9.3)

The introduction of Rick’s group into Alexandria was one of the strong points of the series. After it seems like things are going south and that Rick might be excommunicated from the town, Rick actually manages to convince everyone that he can and wants to help them survive.

But in a shocking twist, an enraged Pete attempts to kill Rick, but winds up killing Reg instead. And just as Rick executes Pete, Morgan shows up in town.