5 Characters They Shouldn't Kill Off
Honorable Mention:Rick
As this point in the show, Rick still has the best odds of survival. Hearing voices on telephones and hallucinating his dead wife aside, Rick is still the undeniable leader of the group and protagonist of the story. I didn't have to include him in my top 5, because he will undoubtedly continue a similar role on the show this season. From the beginning, The Walking Dead has been his story. He will definitely be confronted and beaten up and come to the brink of losing it all over again, but somehow Rick Grimes will continue to barely hold it together and stay alive. His death on the show would be truly shocking. For now, I think it's safe to say he'll be sticking around.
5. Daryl
The fans of The Walking Dead are an opinionated and extremely vocal group. And given the show's massive popularity as the highest rated show on cable, the producers and writers can't possibly be ignorant to the cries from the audience in favor of one character's death or another character's survival. The audience will never dictate these decisions, but their influence is inevitable. Many people were annoyed by Lori, and therefore pleased when she was killed off in the show. Conversely, Shane's death was met with some criticism and an overall backlash toward season 2. I'm not in either of those camps, but as evidenced by personnel changes from season to season and the way the show has evolved, the producers must be aware of potential fan reaction to killing off certain characters, and the risk involved in doing so for each character. Given this fact, Daryl's safety is almost as secured as Rick's. Killing him off could potentially bankrupt the show by causing a mass exodus in its viewership. Daryl is far and away the fan favorite. I expect not only will Daryl continue to survive, but that his role will be expanded further this season in order to capitalize on his popularity, aka fan service. And beside all that, Daryl is a total badass. He has already proven his ability to survive and overcome whatever enemies and obstacles he encounters, all the way to the end of the world.