Andrew Lincoln made those comments in jest, of course, but there are no doubt many fans out there who wholeheartedly believe that Rick Grimes’ exit was a point of no return for The Walking Dead.
Since that likely means Danai Gurira’s Michonne wouldn’t have also left, not to mention Lauren Cohan’s Maggie, though at least the latter is back now.
While the show has definitely evolved into something slightly different from it was during Rick Grimes’ eight seasons leading the pack, there’s still a lingering “what might have been” feeling when thinking about how the storylines would have played out if Lincoln hadn’t decided to bow out in the midst of the ninth season.
(Especially since he didn’t even get to witness the Whisperers’ gnarly stint.)