15 Best New TV Characters Of The Decade
7. Rick Grimes - The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead was always going to feature here somewhere, right? After Frank Darabont’s electric first season, the show seemed set to join the pantheon of television’s all time greats. However, behind the scenes shenanigans and a lack of long term planning saw Darabont booted off his own show and the quality nosedive.
Jeffrey McDunn, who played Dale Horvath, even requested he be killed off in solidarity with Darabont. Considering Darabont’s issue was lazy writers who wrote set pieces with no thought for the big picture, it would appear his worries have proven to be extremely justified.
While The Walking Dead’s peaks and troughs lifecycle has seen ‘all time great’ conversation quiet to a whisper, Rick Grimes remains an iconic character of modern television. Even the way actor Andrew Lincoln said ‘Carl!’ is instantly recognisable as Rick.
The former Sheriff who becomes leader of his gang of misfits and hangers on, Rick becomes a face of the fight against the Walkers. More often than not, corrupted humans became the villains against a backdrop of zombies, but Rick held his own there too.
Loyal, brave, smart, violent yet kind, Rick is a great leader and a well built TV lead.