‘The Walking Dead’: Norman Reedus Will Soon Pass Andrew Lincoln for Most Episode Appearances

Norman Reedus, now the top-billed actor on The Walking Dead, will pass former leading man Andrew Lincoln for most episode appearances on the series in March.

Reddit user u/rarkforpresident noted the Walking Dead Season Nine mid-season premiere marked Daryl Dixon’s 100th episode of the series, bringing him within reach of the 103 recorded appearances for Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.

Now at 102 appearances as of Sunday’s 911, ‘Bounty,’ Reedus will overtake the new record for most episode episodes with 913, ‘Chokepoint,’ airing March 10.

The bowman first appeared in The Walking Dead 103, ‘Tell It to the Frogs.’ The episode also marks the first appearance of Melissa McBride’s Carol, the third most-appearing character.

Reedus and McBride, whose episode count stands at 87 as of ‘Bounty,’ are the only remaining actors from the zombie drama’s first season in 2010. Lincoln exited the mothership series in November’s ‘What Comes After’ and will reappear as Rick at least three more times across a trilogy of television movies.

“I came on on episode three of the first season, and that original cast had been together for a year, and they were bonded. I walk up, I say these lines, I do this stuff and I turn around, and all these people are staring at me like, ‘Who’s this kid? What’s he gonna do?’ And I immediately got a chip on my shoulder,” Reedus recently told The IMDb Show with a laugh when reflecting on his first episode of the series under then-showrunner Frank Darabont.

“And everything kind of came out of the side of my face and I didn’t look people in the face and I was super self-conscious, and when I got up in your face, like I wanted to fight, that became the character. He assumed everyone hated him.”

Though Daryl is having to step up more and more as his own sort of leader as result of the sudden emergence of new enemy group the Whisperers, Reedus reaffirmed Daryl is not a replacement for Rick.

“I immediately called everybody and I was like, ‘Look, I don’t want Andy’s speeches, I don’t want Rick Grimes’ [speeches],’” Reedus said of Lincoln’s departure.

“Daryl’s not the type of character that’s gonna build a soapbox and say, ‘Gather around, let me give you an inspirational speech.’ He’s gonna be like, ‘I trust you, I don’t really trust you, I don’t care what happens to you,’ he’s gonna pick his people. I was like, ‘Don’t give me those.’ Because I’m not that guy and it would be a disservice to the fans of the show and what we’ve done so far to make me put on his boots.”

The Walking Dead next airs ‘Bounty’ Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.