Across 11 seasons, The Walking Dead produced many emotional moments, both sad and happy, and some of these made fans cry. The nature of the show meant some of the most beloved and influential characters were understandably killed off, which was still hard to swallow from an audience point of view. While these were obviously some of the saddest moments in the show, there were other instances where the series proved it could draw emotion without these big sendoffs. Outside all the drama and action, The Walking Dead proved to be one of the hardest-hitting shows on TV during its run, with an abundance of tear-jerking scenes.
Whether it was the heart-wrenching deaths or The Walking Dead‘s more wholesome moments, the series was one that mastered getting viewers invested and reacting to these big scenes. The show occasionally failed to hit its mark, and sometimes these scenes left fans angry. Despite this, The Walking Dead still reeled viewers in and provided them with plenty to look forward to, even after the show’s peak. With the main Walking Dead series lasting 177 episodes through 11 seasons, it is no surprise it had so many moments that made fans cry, the most notable of which will be remembered in TV history for years to come.
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20The Sacrificial Death Of Shiva The Tiger
In Season 8, Episode 4, “Some Guy”
Animals are often more easily emotionally invested in than humans, but The Walking Dead didn’t seem like the type of show where they would last long. While most animals are nothing more than a food source in the show, Ezekiel’s pet tiger, Shiva, proved to have a longer life than most. Shiva often intimidated enemies or tore through walkers, making her just as capable as many human survivors. Unfortunately, she was eaten by zombies after sacrificing herself to allow an injured Ezekiel to escape, cementing Shiva’s The Walking Dead death as one of the series’ most emotional.
19Morgan’s Inability To Shoot His Wife After She Became A Walker
In Season 1, Episode 1, “Days Gone By”
The very first episode set the tone for The Walking Dead, with Morgan’s encounter with his wife bringing fans to tears. As Rick Grimes woke up to experience the apocalypse from a dazed and vulnerable state, Morgan was the first person he encountered. Explaining what had happened, Morgan introduced Rick to this new world but still had a dilemma of his own to deal with. Seeing his wife as a walker, he knew the woman he loved was gone, but he couldn’t shoot her. The scene was an instant introduction to how cruel and heartbreaking the series would be for years to come.
18Rick’s Phone Calls Were Revealed To Be Hallucinations
In Season 3, Episode 9, “The Suicide King”
Hallucinations weren’t an uncommon occurrence for Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead. While he had them somewhat frequently in later episodes, season 3 was the first time the character’s mental state was really called into question. Having lost his wife, Rick began receiving phone calls from a community offering safety. With each call, there was a new voice with increasing reservations about inviting Rick. The last one was from the voice of his late wife, revealing that the previous calls were voices of other dead characters, making for an emotional scene that highlighted how much Rick was struggling with the loss.
17Noah’s Brutal Death Inside The Revolving Doors
In Season 5, Episode 14, “Spend”
Noah’s death was one of the most shocking in The Walking Dead. After surviving the hospital arc, he seemed like a long-term player, especially due to his popularity. Sadly, Noah’s run in the show lasted less than a season, as he was eaten by walkers. While many deaths in the show are sad, this one really stood out due to its brutality and the fact Glenn was forced to watch. With Noah stuck in revolving doors with a large group of zombies, Glenn was unable to save him. Seeing one fan favorite watch the other die was highly emotional and among The Walking Dead‘s saddest deaths.
16Ezekiel & Jerry’s Farewell To Each Other
In Season 10, Episode 14, “Look At The Flowers”
Jerry and Ezekiel were often the most wholesome duo in the series. Both characters radiated positivity and provided a bit of comic relief in such a drama-orientated show. Having survived several seasons together, the two saying goodbye as Ezekiel left with Eugene and Yumiko was a sad moment. The emotion was only amplified as Jerry knew Ezekiel had cancer, making the chances of him surviving the journey much more difficult. Given how much they’d been through, this scene made it hard for fans to hold back tears, knowing it could be the last time the two ever see each other.
15Glenn’s Fake-Out Death (At The Time)
In Season 6, Episode 3, “Thank You”
One of the most infamous moments in The Walking Dead is Glenn’s fake-out death. It divided the fan base and even caused some people to stop watching — but in that moment, it was emotional. Steven Yeun admitted The Walking Dead made mistakes with Glenn, and the idea of him being killed by walkers was heartbreaking to watch. Some viewers were wise to the fact that the show was trying to trick them, while others were likely brought to tears at the time. It is no doubt one of the series’ most controversial and emotional moments that will always be remembered by Walking Dead fans.
14Rick Reunited With His Family
In Season 1, Episode 3, “Tell It To The Frogs”
Despite the characters still being brand new, Rick reuniting with his wife and son was a really heartwarming moment. The first two episodes followed Rick’s difficult journey from waking up in a hospital bed to finding his family. When he finally got there, it was one of the happier moments in the series. Rick later had to deal with losing both Carl and Lori, but getting to see the family embrace when they reunited was a rare joyful moment. The Grimes weren’t the only ones shedding tears when the family hugged and had this miracle reunion during the apocalypse.
13Carol Reunited With The Group After Terminus
In Season 5, Episode 1, “No Sanctuary”
The Terminus arc was when The Walking Dead was at its most popular, and Carol’s role proved huge. After being exiled from the group, she showed up to help after the main survivors were captured in Terminus. From outside the community, Carol helped blow up Terminus and allowed the show’s main characters to survive a very dicey situation. When she eventually reunited with the group, it was a moment capable of making fans cry. Carol had built close relationships with several characters through the four previous seasons and seeing her hug Rick and Daryl after being apart from them for so long was a moving moment.
12Beth & Daryl’s Final Moments Together
In Season 4, Episode 13, “Alone”
Daryl and Beth’s friendship was one of the most wholesome relationships in the entire franchise. The two getting along proved to be a huge surprise considering their contrasting personalities. They had a few scenes together before everyone was separated at the climax of the prison arc, but the two ending up together worked well. While there was a feeling of Beth being a perfect love interest for Daryl Dixon, the strong friendship they grew proved a great narrative direction. Their last moments together, particularly Beth’s singing, proved very emotional, especially in hindsight after Beth died during their only interaction afterward.
11Rosita’s Death In The Walking Dead Finale
In Season 11, Episode 24, “Rest In Peace”
By the time the finale of The Walking Dead came around, it seemed like there were no more deaths that could have too much of an impact. Season 11 played things relatively safe in terms of big character deaths, making Rosita’s even harder to take. Having survived so many near-death encounters in the show’s last episode, Rosita had done enough to save her baby, but not herself. While she got to say her farewells to her loved ones and have a relatively peaceful death in the world of The Walking Dead, it was a bittersweet ending to her story that proved to hit harder than expected.
10Rick Finding Out About Lori’s Death
In Season 3, Episode 4, “Killer Within”
While Lori’s death itself was sad, Rick finding out she didn’t survive made things even more emotional. The moment became a bit of a meme among the Walking Dead fan community, as the over-the-top acting did sell the hopelessness of the scene. While Andrew Lincoln’s performance was the most memorable part, both Chandler Riggs and Lauren Cohan played their part in bringing the audience to tears. Going from the joyful reunion in season 1 to Lori’s death showed how brutal this new post-apocalyptic world was. This scene also started Rick’s descent as he slowly became more unhinged and ruthless after this event.
9Hershel Killed By The Governor
In Season 4, Episode 8, “Too Far Gone”
The Governor was one of The Walking Dead‘s best villains, which was cemented when he killed Hershel. It was his last cruel act before being killed, but it proved a real gut punch after Rick’s speech about peace. For a moment, it looked like the Governor might come around to what Rick was saying and try and live together, only for him to kill one of the most lovable characters on the show. Hershel’s death was heartbreaking and one of the saddest in the series. The only reason some fans might have held it together was how invested in the immediate aftermath they were when chaos ensued.
8Maggie & Glenn Reunited After The Prison
In Season 4, Episode 15, “Us”
True romantic storylines were hard to come by in The Walking Dead, but Glenn and Maggie proved to be the strongest couple on the show. It was an authentic and genuine love story that happened organically in a world surrounded by death. The two grew an unexpected connection and even got married. When they were separated after the prison’s destruction, both were determined to find each other, with episode after episode keeping them apart. This made their eventual reunion a tear-inducing event and one of the sweeter moments in the series.
7Rick Sacrificed Himself To Blow Up The Bridge
In Season 9, Episode 5, “What Comes After”
Andrew Lincoln’s Walking Dead exit had been rumored for a while, yet it didn’t make it any easier when it finally happened. Rick Grimes had been the lead character of the show for over nine seasons before Lincoln decided to call it a day with the character. Thankfully, he will be returning with a spinoff, but his initial exit was one of the saddest moments of the show. Injured and with little fight left, Rick blew up a bridge full of walkers, sacrificing himself to keep his fellow survivors safe. Even though he survived, knowing this was the end of Rick in the series was a hard pill to swallow.
6Sophia Exiting The Barn
In Season 2, Episode 7, “Pretty Much Dead Already”
The Walking Dead proved to be one of the boldest shows on television when it aired the season 2 episode “Pretty Much Dead Already.” The reveal of Sophia exiting the barn was one of the biggest and most memorable scenes in the entire show. The group spent much of the season looking for Carol’s daughter and when they finally found her, it was in the form of a zombie. It was a shocking moment that showed the series’ bravery, alongside how difficult it could be to watch at times. Carol breaking down at the sight of her undead daughter was an unforgettable moment that will always hit viewers deeply.
5Daryl Killed Zombie Merle
In Season 3, Episode 15, “This Sorrowful Life”
Early in The Walking Dead‘s run, Daryl and Merle weren’t always the most likable, but the sad ending to their brotherhood was one of the more surprising emotional moments in the franchise. Merle was more of an antagonist in the show, yet he somewhat found redemption and tried to take down the Governor. When Daryl found his deceased brother, he came back as a zombie, forcing Daryl to put him down for good. While he knew his brother had flaws, it was one of the hardest things Daryl had to do throughout the show, and seeing Norman Reedus’s teary performance had audiences tearing up right there with him.
4Carl’s Final Words
In Season 8, Episode 9, “Honor”
Carl’s death proved to be one of the major talking points throughout the 11 seasons of The Walking Dead. His needless and anti-climactic death was a breaking point for many viewers, for some in terms of anger, and for others in terms of emotion. It seemed like the sort of death done for the sake of drama rather than the story, completely changing any similarities between the show and the comics. While Carl Grimes could return in Rick’s Walking Dead spinoff, his time as a series regular is long over. Carl saying his final words to his dad and Michonne will always be emotional, even if for the wrong reasons.
3Lizzie Killed By Carol
In Season 4, Episode 14, “The Grove”
Her having to watch her own daughter appear as a walker was bad enough, but Carol struggling to pull the trigger on Lizzie made it hard not to cry. The season 4 episode “The Grove” did an excellent job of showing how difficult it is for a child to grow up in the apocalypse. Despite having good intentions, Lizzie was clearly not suited to this world. After she killed her sister, Lizzie would only hurt more people if Carol didn’t kill her. Carol told Lizzie to look at the flowers before shooting her in the back of the head, cementing this scene as one of the saddest in the show’s history.
2Beth Killed After Being Rescued
In Season 5, Episode 8, “Coda”
After spending half a season in a hospital, forced to be part of Dawn’s group, Beth finally looked like she had earned her freedom. Rick and the rest of the survivors were able to find her and negotiate her release, but then she was killed before exiting the walls. Given all the character progression she had gone through alongside completing such a grueling arc, Beth’s death came as a complete shock that rocked audiences. Daryl carrying a deceased Beth in his arms towards her sister was just about as depressing as the show got, and it almost certainly earned a few tears from the audience.
1Glenn & Abraham Killed By Negan
In Season 7, Episode 1, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”
Two of the tensest episodes in the entire series were the season 6 finale and the season 7 premiere. As controversial as they were, Negan’s introduction was stomach-churning, not just due to the violent nature of his kills, but the anticipation of who was at the end of his baseball bat. Seeing the survivors so hopeless was a true first for the series, and The Walking Dead killing off two major characters was stunning. This episode caused all sorts of emotions, but losing both Glenn and Abraham was undoubtedly a moment that made fans cry and changed The Walking Dead forever.
