Country of origin United States Original network AMC | No. of episodes 16 | |
Starring Andrew Lincoln
Norman Reedus
Steven Yeun
Lauren Cohan
Chandler Riggs
Danai Gurira
Melissa McBride
Scott Wilson
David Morrissey
Emily Kinney
Chad L. Coleman
Sonequa Martin-Green
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. Original release October 13, 2013 (2013-10-13) – March 30, 2014 (2014-03-30) |
The fourth season of The Walking Dead, an American horror-drama television series on AMC, premiered on October 13, 2013, and concluded on March 30, 2014, consisting of 16 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It was executive produced by Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, and Gale Anne Hurd. Gimple assumed the role of showrunner after Glen Mazzara's departure from the series.
Contents
- Main cast
- Starring
- Also starring
- The Prison
- Martinezs camp
- Abrahams group
- The Claimers
- Terminus
- Miscellaneous
- Production
- Inspirations
- Webisodes
- Talking Dead
- Critical response
- Accolades
- Home media releases
- References
The season was well received by critics, and won Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series at the 40th Saturn Awards. This season was also nominated for multiple awards at both the 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards and 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
This season adapts material from issues #39–61 of the comic book series and introduces notable comic characters, including Bob Stookey, Sgt. Abraham Ford, Dr. Eugene Porter and Rosita Espinosa, as well as the Chambler family, a modified version of the Chalmers family from The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor tie-in novel.
Set several months after the events of the previous season, the season continues the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who relinquished his leadership in order to live a quiet and more peaceful life in contrast to his cold-hearted nature in the previous season. Striving to hold onto humanity, Rick and his fellow survivors struggle to maintain their close to an ideal life at the prison as problems arise in the face of new evil, and threats within and outside the premises, including the reappearance of The Governor (David Morrissey).
Main cast
The fourth season features thirteen series regulars, with nine actors featured in the opening credits, while four others are credited as "also starring". Melissa McBride and Scott Wilson, who portray Carol Peletier and Hershel Greene, respectively, are added in the opening sequence after previously being credited as "also starring". David Morrissey, who plays The Governor, is not credited among the main cast until his reappearance in the episode "Live Bait". Credited as "also starring" are Emily Kinney (Beth Greene), Chad L. Coleman (Tyreese Williams), and Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha Williams), who are promoted from recurring status, and Lawrence Gilliard Jr., who joins the main cast as Bob Stookey. Wilson and Morrissey are both removed from the opening credits, and as series regulars after the episode "After". However, Wilson is re-added to the opening credits and as a series regular for the season finale, "A".
Starring
Also starring
The Prison
Martinez's camp
Abraham's group
The Claimers
Terminus
Miscellaneous
Lennie James was initially reported to return as Morgan Jones, Rick's first human encounter in the apocalypse, however showrunner Scott M. Gimple confirmed that he would not appear in the fourth season, saying that he was misquoted. Despite this, Gimple stated that Morgan would return in later seasons. Morgan eventually returned in the show's fifth season.
Production
A fourth season of the show, consisting of 16 episodes, was confirmed in December 2012. Production began in Senoia, Georgia on May 6, 2013. In July 2013, it was reported that David S. Goyer would be directing the penultimate episode of the season, however Goyer did not direct the episode due to scheduling conflicts. Greg Nicotero, who replaced Goyer, directed three episodes for the season, while Tricia Brock and Ernest Dickerson each directed two episodes. Michelle MacLaren returned this season to direct the season finale, after previously directing episodes in seasons one and two. Comic book co-creator Robert Kirkman wrote two episodes of the season. Filming was completed on November 23, 2013.
Inspirations
In an interview with showrunner Scott Gimple, he shares: "The ultimate inspiration for The Walking Dead is the comic book. Sometimes, we can go far away from the comic book story, but often we ultimately serve the comic book story. And even when we go far away from it, we're inspired by it - and the novels as well. And then beyond that, all of the great stuff that we have consumed along the way, from zombie movies to Star Wars to other comics to really highbrow movies like The Grand Illusion to Jaws. And also really, world history. The plague storyline was inspired by both Camus' The Plague and other stories about the plague I heard in Edinburgh. But really, it starts with the comic book."
Webisodes
Following the two previous web series in 2011 and 2012, another set of webisodes titled The Oath was released on October 1, 2013.
Talking Dead
A third season of the live talk show aired alongside the fourth season of The Walking Dead.
Critical response
The fourth season has been well received by critics. Based on 30 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, season 4 received an average 86% overall "Certified Fresh" approval rating; the website's consensus states, "Consistently thrilling, with solid character development and enough gore to please grindhouse fans, this season of The Walking Dead continues to demonstrate why it's one of the best horror shows on television". Metacritic gave the fourth season a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 reviews.
Accolades
For the 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the season was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series. Melissa McBride received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards. For the 40th Saturn Awards, the season won Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, Best Supporting Actress on Television (Melissa McBride), and Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series (Chandler Riggs). The season also received two nominations for the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series ("Too Far Gone") and Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role ("30 Days Without an Accident").
Home media releases
The fourth season was released on region 1/A DVD and Blu-ray on August 26, 2014. It was also released in limited edition Blu-ray packaging, a replica of the tree walker (featured in the episode "Isolation"), designed by Greg Nicotero and sculpted by McFarlane Toys. Special features include "Inside The Walking Dead" and "The Making of The Walking Dead" featurettes for every episode; six other featurettes titled, "Drawing Inspiration", "Hershel", "The Governor is Back", "Society, Science & Survival", "Inside KNB Studios" and "A Journey Back to Brutality"; deleted scenes from eight episodes; and audio commentaries on six episodes; and two extended episodes. Also, the final line of the season is uncensored, with Rick saying "They're fucking with the wrong people."