Twelve years. That’s how long we spent watching the world end on AMC. But if you look back at the beginning, at those first six episodes directed by Frank Darabont, it feels like a different show entirely.
The The Walking Dead s1 cast wasn't just a group of actors. They were the blueprint. Honestly, it’s wild to think that when the pilot "Days Gone Bye" aired in 2010, basically nobody knew who Andrew Lincoln or Steven Yeun were. They were just people in a quarry outside Atlanta, trying not to get eaten.
Who was actually in the original Atlanta group?
If you try to name the season one survivors from memory, you probably go straight to Rick, Daryl, and Glenn. But the original lineup was a weird, messy mix of personalities that probably never would have hung out in the "real" world.
- Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes): The moral compass who woke up late to the party.
- Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh): Rick's partner and the guy who arguably understood the new world faster than anyone else.
- Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes): The woman caught in the middle of a literal apocalypse love triangle.
- Steven Yeun (Glenn Rhee): A former pizza delivery boy who became the soul of the series.
- Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes): Just a kid in a sheriff’s hat.
- Laurie Holden (Andrea) & Emma Bell (Amy): Sisters who represented the raw grief of the early days.
- Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale Horvath): The man with the RV and the bucket hat who tried to keep everyone human.
There were others, too. IronE Singleton as T-Dog and Jeryl Prescott Sales as Jacqui. You had the Morales family, who famously decided to take their chances on the road to Birmingham instead of staying with Rick. That turned out to be a choice. A bad one, mostly.
The Daryl Dixon factor: A happy accident
Did you know Daryl Dixon wasn't even in the comics?
Norman Reedus actually auditioned for the role of Merle (which went to Michael Rooker). The casting directors liked Reedus so much they literally created the character of Daryl just for him. He started as a recurring guest in season one. He wasn't even "main cast" yet.
Think about that. The guy who eventually became the face of the entire franchise, with his own spin-off in France, was an afterthought. He was just Merle’s angry little brother with a crossbow and a chip on his shoulder.
Why Jon Bernthal almost played Rick
This is the kind of "what if" that keeps fans up at night.
According to casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, Jon Bernthal was actually the runner-up for the role of Rick Grimes. He made it all the way to the final screen tests. Eventually, Darabont decided Bernthal was the perfect fit for Shane Walsh.
It was the right call.
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Bernthal’s Shane is one of the best-acted descents into madness in TV history. He played Shane with this vibrating, aggressive energy that balanced perfectly against Andrew Lincoln’s more stoic, quiet intensity. If they had swapped roles, the show’s DNA would have been completely different.
What happened to the "Forgotten" survivors?
We talk about the stars, but the The Walking Dead s1 cast included people who vanished or died before the show became a global phenomenon.
Take Adam Minarovich, who played Ed Peletier. He was Carol’s abusive husband. Most people only remember him getting his face smashed in by Shane or being the reason Carol found her inner strength. Then there's Andrew Rothenberg as Jim. He was the first person we really saw "turn" within the group. Leaving him under that tree on the way to the CDC is still one of the most haunting scenes in the early seasons.
And we can't forget Lennie James as Morgan Jones. Technically, he’s the first person Rick meets. He only appeared in the pilot in season one, but his impact was so massive he ended up leading his own show (Fear The Walking Dead) years later.
The CDC and the end of the beginning
The season one finale is controversial among some fans because it leans so hard into the "science" of the outbreak with Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich).
Jenner was the last man standing at the CDC. He gave Rick the secret—that everyone is already infected—which changed everything. It’s a bit of a departure from the "never explain the virus" rule of the comics, but Emmerich played the role with such a tired, broken dignity that it worked.
When the CDC exploded, it signaled the end of the "hope for a cure" era. From then on, it was just about survival.
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Where is the season 1 cast now?
It’s been over a decade. Some of these actors are now Oscar nominees and Marvel stars.
- Steven Yeun: He’s arguably had the most prestigious post-show career. Between Minari, Nope, and his Emmy-winning turn in Beef, he’s a legit A-lister.
- Jon Bernthal: He became The Punisher and is a staple in high-end gritty dramas like The Bear and We Own This City.
- Melissa McBride: She started as a background character in season one. By the end, she was a lead. She’s currently filming the second season of the Daryl Dixon spin-off, The Book of Carol.
- Danai Gurira: Though she didn't show up until the season two finale (and only as a hooded figure), she joined the core "family" early on. She’s now a major part of the MCU as Okoye.
The legacy of the original six episodes
There’s a specific "look" to season one. It was shot on 16mm film, giving it a grainy, cinematic horror vibe that the later digital seasons lacked.
The cast felt like real people. They wore dirty clothes. They looked sweaty. They made stupid mistakes because they didn't know the rules yet. Most of the The Walking Dead s1 cast is gone now—either dead in the story or moved on to other projects—but that initial chemistry is why the show lasted 11 seasons and birthed half a dozen spin-offs.
If you’re looking to dive back into the world of the undead, your best move is a re-watch of those first six episodes. Pay attention to the small moments: Glenn’s excitement over the red Challenger, Dale’s obsession with his watch, and the way Rick and Shane used to talk about women and fries before the world went to hell.
Your next steps for a TWD deep dive:
- Watch the Pilot Again: Look for the "Tank Soldier" walker. Fun fact: that was Sam Witwer, who was supposed to have his own prequel episode that never happened.
- Track the Morales Family: They actually show up again in season 8. It’s a brutal reminder of how much the world changes people.
- Listen to the "Real Ones" Podcast: Jon Bernthal often has former castmates like Sarah Wayne Callies and Norman Reedus on to talk about the "wild west" days of filming in the Georgia heat.