TWD Seasons With The Best Action

While The Walking Dead is a show well known for its intriguing characters and compelling story, it’s also become beloved for its chaotic action scenes. It’s always a blast being able to see Rick and the gang slashing away at a horde of bloodthirsty zombies or engaging in a gunfight against an enemy faction, but with that being said, there are a select few seasons that contain a lot more exciting adrenaline-pumping action than the others.

There’s always a time and place for a season that is a little slower and more character-focused, but The Walking Dead stands out for how well it handles its frantic all-out brawls and nail-biting exchanges between the different survivors of the apocalypse. Anyone who is looking to re-watch some of The Walking Dead and wants to get deep into the action should take a trip back to the seasons listed below.

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Season 1

The Beginning Of Rick’s Journey Contains Some Truly Intense Segments With The Walkers

After waking up from a coma and finding himself in a world that has seemingly gone to hell, Rick is severely unprepared to fend off the giant swarms of Walkers he finds himself up against in the city. Because of this, every scene with the flesh-munching zombies feels like a real fight for survival, a prime example being the final ten minutes of the first episode, where Rick is forced to take on literally hundreds of zombies, before eventually being forced to protect himself by climbing into a tank.

The season is only six episodes long, and since it needs to set up a lot of the main characters, the action scenes aren’t as common as in some of the future seasons, but this ends up making them all the more intense, especially knowing that anyone could die, considering how inexperienced the characters all were at the time.

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Season 11

The Show’s Final Season Ends The Story Off With Some Heart-Pounding Action

Considering the sheer number of factions that play an important role in Season 11, it’s only inevitable that they would all end up clashing sooner or later. After Alexandria was almost destroyed by the Whisperers, Maggie and the other survivors are forced to explore their surroundings, and they soon run into the dangerous group of fanatics known as the Reapers, who are more than willing to cut down anyone whom their leader, Pope, sees as an enemy.

While this already results in some pretty chaotic battle scenes, what also helps the action stand out in this final season is the inclusion of the Commonwealth. These stormtrooper-looking soldiers are much more advanced than the fan-favorite survivors, which enables them to exterminate the Walkers in some pretty creative and unique ways. This isn’t even mentioning the new ghoulish Feral enemies, who provide a nice breath of fresh air from the usual Walkers who have been around since the very beginning.

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Season 3

Rick And The Survivors Find Themselves Clearing Out, And Eventually Protecting, An Entire Prison

After the survivors are forced to flee Hershel’s farm, they stumble across a massive, well-defended prison which seems like a better place than any for holding out against the Walkers. The prison is where much of Season 3 takes place, and it’s fair to say Rick and the others barely ever get a moment to rest once they set foot in the building. Initially, they find themselves fighting not only zombies, but also the prisoners who seem less than happy about having new visitors.

As soon as things seem like they may finally be calming down, the focus switches to Woodbury, where the despicable Governor is killing people left and right. Season 3 is a real standout when it comes to action, which is why it’s become so beloved by many fans.

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Season 9

Alpha And Her Whisperers Spread Terror And Chaos Everywhere They Go

It’s early in Season 9 that Alpha and the eerie zombie-like fiends known as the Whisperers make their debut. Considering the Whisperers can influence the Walkers by disguising themselves as one among the herd, it leads to plenty of exciting battles. The fight in the cemetery, for example, has this dark and creepy atmosphere that makes it feel incredibly intense, considering there was no way for anyone to predict the Whisperers’ fighting style.

With this being the final season to feature Rick Grimes, the star of the show also gets to play a big role in some of the season’s biggest fights, though he, unfortunately, never gets to meet the Whisperers face to face. The epic duel between Daryl and Beta also deserves a special shout-out for the fantastic hand-to-hand choreography. After the last few seasons, which were dedicated to setting up the war with Negan, it’s also nice to see some classic fights against the Walkers, who once again felt like a genuine threat thanks to the Whisperers’ inclusion.

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Season 5

The Fifth Season Kicks Off With An Explosive Breakout From Terminus

Season 5 might just be the most unpredictable section of the entire series, as the whole thing does feel like one exhilarating thrill ride that never takes its foot off the gas. It starts with one of the best action sequences in the show, which sees Rick and the gang breaking out of Terminus and gunning down any vicious cannibals who dare to try and stop them. Because the group is split up for much of the season, it grants each of them more than enough time to show what they’re truly made of during their specific action scenes, whether it be focusing on Abraham and his mission to reach Washington, or Rick’s desperate attempts to save Beth from the hospital.

Even when Rick finally reaches the haven of Alexandria, it’s not long before the action ramps up once again, considering how difficult it is for him and his group of survivors to live peacefully after the terrors they’ve already been through. There are a lot of very compelling and memorable character moments in Season 5, but these are still paired with a good dose of action that keeps things exciting from beginning to end.

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Season 4

The Siege Of The Prison Remains One Of, If Not The Best, Action Sequence In The Series

Season 4 often receives a bit of flak for the illness in the prison sub-plot, which admittedly does feel a little dragged out, but it doesn’t take long before the stakes are thrown into high gear. Episode 8 contains arguably the greatest action set-piece in the entire series: the prison siege. The Governor, armed with a swarm of loyal followers, a heavily armored tank, and a few hostages by his side, strolls up to the prison fences and declares war on Rick and his band of survivors.

What ensues is a stunning battle between the two forces, where it truly feels like nobody is safe. There are also a few smaller-scale fights that stand out, such as Rick’s gory fight against the Claimers, who experienced firsthand just how brutal Rick can truly get when pushed to his limits.

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Season 8

After Much Preparation, The War Against Negan Finally Kicks Off

While much of Season 7 was dedicated to setting the stage for the oncoming war against Negan and his violent pack of Saviors, Season 8 is where things really kick off. At first, Rick and the allied factions only decide to take out a few small Savior outposts, but all of these smaller skirmishes eventually lead to the all-out war, which Season 8 is most remembered for.

There are also a handful of new factions that are introduced who also participate in the action, including the mysterious Scavengers, who do a good job at keeping fans guessing from the moment they make their debut. This season is littered with nail-biting action scenes, especially in those final few episodes where the two armies finally come face to face. All the buildup makes the final confrontation between Rick and Negan one that’s honestly very hard to forget.

The Walking Dead

Release Date

2010 – 2022

Network

AMC

Showrunner

Frank Darabont, Angela Kang, Scott M. Gimple, Glen Mazzara

Directors

David Boyd, Ernest R. Dickerson, Billy Gierhart, Guy Ferland, Laura Belsey, Jeffrey F. January, Michael Cudlitz, Sharat Raju, Alrick Riley, Michael Slovis, Michelle MacLaren, Rosemary Rodriguez, Seith Mann, Tricia Brock, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Daniel Sackheim, Fred Toye, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jon Amiel, Kari Skogland, Kevin Dowling, Tawnia McKiernan, Larry Teng, Julius Ramsay

Writers

Channing Powell, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Glen Mazzara, Jim Barnes, Vivian Tse, Robert Kirkman, Erik Mountain, Evan Reilly, Kevin Deiboldt, Julia Ruchman, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Nichole Beattie, Eddie Guzelian, Geraldine Inoa, Magali Lozano, Curtis Gwinn, LaToya Morgan, Eli Jorne, Adam Fierro, Frank Renzulli, Ryan Coleman, Jack LoGiudice, Charles H. Eglee

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  Norman Reedus

  Daryl Dixon

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  Melissa McBride

  Carol Peletier