7 best The Walking Dead episodes, ranked

Disclaimer: This article on The Walking Dead reflects the author's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

There are multiple TV series based on zombie outbreaks, but nothing hits like The Walking Dead. It follows survivors navigating deadly challenges after a catastrophic event turns the world upside down.

The terrifying creatures or zombies in The Walking Dead are called the "Walkers," and while they’re dangerous, the real threat to the survivors often comes from other humans who have also been pushed to the edge.

At the heart of the story is Rick Grimes, a sheriff’s deputy who wakes up from a coma to discover that everything he once knew is gone. Alone and confused, he eventually finds other survivors near Atlanta, Georgia.

As the journey to survival continues, Rick transforms into a leader of his group and ensures that he guides everyone as they move from place to place. However, danger is everywhere in The Walking Dead, as there exist other groups that choose violence and betrayal for safety.

This way, the AMC TV drama emerged as one of the most popular and long-running shows, and even earned Prime Time Emmy awards. The flagship series ran for eleven triumphant seasons, each intensifying the challenges of the characters.

Keep reading to explore some of the best episodes of the show!

The 7 best episodes of The Walking Dead explored

Here’s a look at seven standout episodes from The Walking Dead—these are widely considered fan favorites and critically praised moments that shaped the show’s legacy with their emotional weight, plot twists, and unforgettable scenes:

7) The Day Will Come When You Won't Be (Season 7, Episode 1)

Negan threatens others (Image Source: AMC)

This episode is still one of the most shocking and emotionally heartbreaking in the entire series. Continuing from Season 6's cliffhanger, viewers finally get to see who Negan has picked as his victims.

In a gruesome sequence, both Abraham and Glenn are brutally killed by Negan with his barbed-wire bat, Lucille. The raw brutality and the psychological shock inflicted on Rick's group send a powerful message: Negan rules now.

This episode of The Walking Dead Season 7 represents a new era of terror and compliance. It also left viewers shocked at its violent tone and irreparable losses.

Also Read: Rick Grimes' final scene in The Walking Dead was a callback to his very first scene (but neither was realistic)

6) No Way Out (Season 6, Episode 9)

Walkers intensify the chaos (Image Source: AMC)

In this episode, things go really bad for Rick and his group. The safe place they were living in, called Alexandria, gets completely taken over by a huge crowd of Walkers. It looks like there’s no way they can survive.

Rick comes up with a dangerous idea. He tells the group to cover themselves in zombie guts to hide their smell so they can walk through the crowd without being noticed. It’s a scary plan, and unfortunately, it doesn’t work for everyone.

A little boy named Sam gets too scared in the middle of it all. He starts panicking, which gets him and his mother killed by the zombies. Then, Rick’s son Carl also gets hurt really badly. He’s shot and ends up losing one of his eyes.

As the chaos unfolds in this episode of The Walking Dead, viewers are also shown the rise of another villainous group. Yes, this is when we learn that Negan would soon take charge and hurt more humans.

5) No Sanctuary (Season 5, Episode 1)

The group ends up with cannibals (Image Source: AMC)

As mentioned above, humans are a bigger danger than the Walkers in The Walking Dead. In this episode of the fifth season, Rick and his group think they’ve found a safe place called Terminus.

Unfortunately, it turns out to be a trap set by the people who are cannibals. Initially, they welcomed the group and made it look like they would help, but little did anyone know that those cannibals actually wanted to eat up Rick's group.

At this point, it seems like there's no way out. But then Carol, who had been surviving on her own outside Terminus, steps in to save them. She blows up part of the Terminus compound to keep the cannibals distracted.

This is a huge moment for Carol in the Walking Dead universe. She proves how strong and fearless she has become, and it feels very rewarding for fans who have watched her grow since the beginning of the show.

At the end, the episode also brings back Morgan, an old friend from earlier seasons. His return reminds viewers of how much has changed—and how much the characters have been through to survive in this brutal world.

4) Too Far Gone (Season 4, Episode 8)

The episode features a major death (Image Source: AMC)

The prison had started to feel like a safe home for Rick and his group. But everything changes when the Governor shows up again, this time ready to take control.

He captures Michonne and Hershel and uses them as hostages. Rick tries to talk to him peacefully and avoid a fight, but the Governor doesn’t listen. Instead, he eliminates Hershel right in front of everyone.

That terrible act in The Walking Dead Season 4 starts a huge battle between the two groups. The prison gets completely destroyed during the fight, and Rick’s group is forced to run in different directions to survive.

3) Killer Within (Season 3, Episode 4)

Things go terribly wrong when the walkers break through the prison gates and start attacking. In the middle of all the chaos, Lori suddenly goes into labor, but something’s wrong. There’s no doctor, so Maggie has to do an emergency C-section to save the baby.

Sadly, Lori doesn’t survive the surgery. The most heartbreaking part? Her young son, Carl, has to make sure she doesn’t turn into a walker. He steps up and does what no kid should ever have to do. It’s a painful moment that shows just how fast kids are forced to grow up in this world.

At the same time, T-Dog gets bitten, but instead of trying to save himself, he sacrifices his life to save Carol, making it another big and emotional loss for the group.

2) Pretty Much Dead Already (Season 2, Episode 7)

Carol saw her daughter being a walker (Image Source: AMC)

The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 7 "Pretty Much Dead" literally hits like a gut punch. While Rick and the others are hoping for some peace at Hershel's farm, it's revealed that Hershel has kept some of the Walkers locked inside a barn.

The reason? He thought they were just sick people who could be cured. Things get intense as the survivors argue about what to do as the zombies are just a few steps away from them.

In the final moments of the episode, the Walkers come out of the barn, and we also see Sophia, Carol’s missing daughter. This is another devastating moment in The Walking Dead as a mother learns that her daughter has been dead all along.

1) Days Gone Bye (Season 1, Episode 1)

Ricks witnessed blood all over (Image Source: AMC)

This is where it all began. The very first episode of The Walking Dead series kicks off with Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes waking up after being in a coma for some time. The sheriff is shocked to see how destroyed the world has become, and humans are turning into terrifying creatures, or walkers.

Amid this chaos, Rick is concerned about his family. Since he was unconscious, he didn't know what had happened to them and set out on a challenging quest to find them. At first, he didn't expect things to go terribly wrong during his search, but Ric gradually adapts to a deadly environment until the end of his time in the series.