Has there ever been a more bloated TV show than The Walking Dead right now? Season 8 is done and dusted, the show is haemorrhaging viewers, and yet the cast just keeps on growing. To add insult to injury, we lost two great characters this season; Carl and Simon. The Walking Dead season 9 needs to learn from past mistakes.
There are still so many unnecessary characters floating around with nothing to do. Meanwhile, it feels like fan favourites Daryl, Carol and Maggie are lucky if they get one line per episode. What happened to the good old days when the show was all about them?

So it’s become increasingly clear as season 8 has progressed, The Walking Dead needs a cull of the ever-expanding cast. And that doesn’t mean killing off the most expensive stars. We need Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Maggie. I’m curious to see what they do with Negan now that he’s a prisoner so he can stay too (for now).

But on the periphery, there are plenty of characters that can become walker chow. Here’s four characters that should ‘just look at the flowers’ as Carol once said.

King Ezekiel

I’m sorry but now he has no tiger, he has no reason to live. Ezekiel looks cool, but every time he opens his mouth, I want a walker to leap out, grab him by the dreadlocks and take a chunk out of his neck. His tiger Shiva was one of the biggest reasons he made such a striking character anyway. Now he’s just a guy who talks in a really annoying manner. Next…

Father Gabriel

Another one that needs to bite the dust. However, the encroaching blindness does manage to make Gabriel slightly more interesting. We should be terrified for him as he loses his sight. The problem is that most of us have never really cared much about him in the first place. Having a character with a sight impediment on the show would be a wonderful thing. It’s just a shame it’s got to be boring old God-bothering Father Gabriel.

Enid

Is Enid still in the show? I don’t remember seeing her for more than a few minutes in the entire season 8. I think she was there. Didn’t she do something with Aaron? It’s a shame as Enid was once interesting. But like with so many of the characters, she has been relegated to a back seat. The show could still turn this around. Without Carl in the cast, it would be good to keep a young member of the good guys. But please, if Enid is to live, give her something interesting to do!

Jesus

Like Ezekiel, Jesus should be cool. He looks cool. In the comics, he’s cool. But all he’s doing in the show is occasionally spouting some moralistic mumbo jumbo to stop one of our heroes from killing someone. It’s boring and weak. If Jesus was elevated to a leader type, it might be more interesting. But now Rick has decided to be the moral authority, Jesus will become even more pointless. Sweet Jesus, what a waste!

It’s not that I’m bloodthirsty (though that may be true), it’s just that the show is far too bloated. I want to see more of Daryl, Carol, Maggie and Michonne. The only way to do that is to cull the cast. Lucille may not be so thirsty for blood anymore, but there’s plenty of walkers around to do this. If they follow the comics, then season 9 should introduce a brand new bunch of brilliantly designed villains very soon.

So go on Walking Dead season 9 writers. Treat yourselves. Have a killing spree in the premiere. Let’s cut the dead weight.

Who would you like to see become a walker in season 9?

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