9 TV Shows That Survived Death Of The Main Character

4. The Walking Dead - Carl Grimes

For as much as The Walking Dead was Rick Grimes' story, it was equally Carl's. Rick was the present, but Carl was the future - the whole reason Rick kept on fighting, and the person to whom the torch would pass when the time came. But while Rick departed the show with his life (just) intact, the same couldn't be said for his son, Carl.

Revealing that he'd been bitten in the mid-season 8 finale, it wasn't until a few months later when the show returned from its break that we'd get the conclusion to Carl's story, with him dying peacefully in Alexandria, his father by his side. It was, then and now, the show's biggest mistake (despite some strong competition in that regard), because Carl was the whole point.

And yet, much as the characters in the show, The Walking Dead has kept on surviving. What's more, in Season 9 it's even managed to turn a corner, with multiple time jumps leading to the storylines feeling fresher and more exciting than they have done for years. The ratings are plummeting, but it's still nowhere near bad enough in that regard to be cancelled, and Carl's mantle has now been taken up by his sister, Judith. It doesn't make his death better, but it does show that this show will find a way to keep on going, regardless of what happens.