The essential episodes of Talking Dead

Watch these 25 in order and you've got Talking Dead — each pick states its reason.

1. 01

   S01E01 · Pilot · October 17, 2011 · 1h

   What Lies Ahead9.0

   Robert Kirkman, Patton Oswald, and James Gunn discuss The Walking Dead episode, "What Lies Ahead".

2. 02

   S01E02 · Top rated · October 23, 2011 · 1h

   Bloodletting9.0

   Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and Brian Posehn discuss The Walking Dead episode, "Bloodletting."

3. 03

   S01E03 · Top rated · October 30, 2011 · 1h

   Save the Last One9.0

   Felicia Day and Jon Heder discuss The Walking Dead episode, "Save The Last One".

4. 04

   S01E04 · Top rated · November 7, 2011 · 1h

   Cherokee Rose9.0

   Chris Hardwick discusses The Walking Dead episode "Cherokee Rose" with guests comedian Matt Besser and author Matt Mogk.

5. 05

   S01E05 · Top rated · November 14, 2011 · 1h

   Chupacabra9.0

   Chris Hardwick discusses The Walking Dead episode "Chupacabra" with actress Aisha Tyler and special guest Michael Rooker.

6. 06

   S01E06 · Top rated · November 21, 2011 · 1h

   Secrets9.0

   Chris Hardwick discusses The Walking Dead episode "Secrets" with filmmaker Kevin Smith and comedian Paul F. Tompkins.

7. 07

   S01E07 · Top rated · November 28, 2011 · 1h

   Pretty Much Dead Already9.0

   Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero and Norman Reedus discuss The Walking Dead episode"Pretty Much Dead Already"

8. 08

   S01E08 · Top rated · February 13, 2012 · 1h

   Nebraska7.5

   Dave Navarro and Glen Mazzara discuss The Walking Dead episode "Nebraska".

9. 09

   S01E09 · Top rated · February 19, 2012 · 1h

   Triggerfinger9.0

   Steven Yeun and Paget Brewster discuss The Walking Dead Episode "Triggerfinger".

10. 10

    S01E10 · Top rated · February 27, 2012 · 1h

    18 Miles Out9.0

    Michael Zegen, Kevin Smith, and Scott Wilson talk about the Walking Dead episode "18 Miles Out"

11. 11

    S01E11 · Top rated · March 5, 2012 · 1h

    Judge, Jury, Executioner9.0

    Greg Nicotero, Scott Ian and Dana Gould discuss The Walking Dead episode "Judge, Jury, Executioner"

12. 12

    S01E12 · Top rated · March 12, 2012 · 1h

    Better Angels8.5

    Lauren Cohan and Zachary Levi talk about The Walking Dead episode "Better Angels".

13. 13

    S01E13 · Top rated · March 18, 2012 · 1h

    Beside The Dying Fire9.0

    Glen Mazzara and Laurie Holden discuss the "Beside the Dying Fire" episode of "The Walking Dead."

14. 14

    S02E01 · Season 2 peak · October 14, 2012 · 1h

    Seed4.5

    Host Chris Hardwick discusses The Walking Dead episode "Seed" with guests Glen Mazarra and Danai Gurira.

15. 15

    S03E15 · Season 3 peak · March 23, 2014 · 1h

    Us5.0

    Steven Yeun and Josh McDermitt join Chris Hardwick to discuss Episode 15, "Us".

16. 16

    S04E09 · Season 4 peak · February 8, 2015 · 1h

    What Happened and What's Going On5.5

    Reviewing episode: What Happened and What's Going On

17. 17

    S05E03 · Season 5 peak · October 25, 2015 · 1h

    Thank You6.0

    Yvette Nicole Brown and Damon Lindelof discuss the episode "Thank You" from The Walking Dead.Hosted by Chris Hardwick.

18. 18

    S06E09 · Season 6 peak · February 12, 2017 · 1h

    Rock in the Road5.7

    Khary Payton, Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and NFL running back DeAngelo Williams discuss the Season 7 Mid-Season Premiere, "Rock in the Road" from The Walking Dead.

19. 19

    S07E10 · Season 7 peak · March 4, 2018 · 1h

    The Lost and the Plunderers5.5

    Ross Marquand and Executive Producer Robert Kirkman discuss Episode 10, "The Lost and the Plunderers."

20. 20

    S08E01 · Top rated · October 7, 2018 · 1h

    A New Beginning6.3

    Melissa McBride, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, EP Greg Nicotero and showrunner Angela Kang discuss the 9th season premiere of The Walking Dead.

21. 21

    S08E03 · Top rated · October 21, 2018 · 1h

    Warning Signs6.8

    Pollyanna McIntosh and Sydney Park discuss the latest episode of The Walking Dead.

22. 22

    S08E05 · Season 8 peak · November 4, 2018 · 1h

    What Comes After7.3

    Scott M. Gimple, Yvette Nicole Brown and Melissa McBride discuss the latest episode of The Walking Dead.

23. 23

    S08E06 · Top rated · November 11, 2018 · 1h

    Who Are You Now?7.3

    Lauren Ridloff, Drew Scott and Angel Theory discuss the Season 9 episode, "Who Are You Now?"

24. 24

    S09E20 · Season 9 peak · December 4, 2020 · 1h

    Home Edition: The Deepest Cut / In This Life5.5

    Aliyah Royale, Nicolas Cantu, Nico Tortorella, Alexa Mansour, Matt Negrete and Hal Cumpston discuss season 1 finale of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.Premiered November, 26 on AMC+

25. 25

    S10E01 · Season 10 peak · August 22, 2021 · 1h

    The Walking Dead Season 11 Premiere4.0

    Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paola Lázaro, and Angela Kang discuss the season 11 premiere of The Walking Dead.