When it comes to The Walking Dead, I am ride-or-die. It has not always been an easy show to love--or even like--but I have watched nine seasons and I'm not going to back out before the tenth. When it's good, it is really good. When it's bad, it is like watching paint dry. I still haven't decided if the good is worth sitting through the bad, but I'm in it for the long haul.

As The Walking Dead stumbles towards its season premiere on October 6th, I have gone through and ranked each season from worst to best. Consider this a public service: This can be used as either a guide to see which seasons you need to catch up on and which to skip; or it can just refresh your memory.

And for more of our coverage on all things The Walking Dead, be sure to check out these recent write-ups:

WARNING: Spoilers abound.

9) Season 9

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Image via AMC

Season 9

Last season felt like a mess. Rick disappears, and we experience a six-year time jump that feels weird after seasons that would cover just a few days or weeks. On top of that, there were lots of minor mysteries that took forever to get answers to (like the X scars on Michonne and Daryl) that honestly weren't really worth it. Then there is the Maggie Mystery. Lauren Cohan left the show, and rather that writing her off, she just doesn't appear anymore. I think we are supposed to assume has gone all Howard Hughes, hiding in a bedroom in the dark. With Carl now dead, Henry has been "upgraded" to take a larger role, including becoming boyfriend/savior to Lydia. In the comics, this was Carl's storyline. I don't think the kid playing Henry is interesting enough to carry his own plotline. This season was a trial to get through. With Andrew Lincoln and Cohan leaving (Cohan's was due to a contract dispute that I suspect did not end amicably), it felt like the writers were grasping at straws and not sure where to take the show. Even the appearance of the Whisperers (a favorite comic book storyline for me) could not save this messy season.

8) Season 7

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Image via AMC

Season 7

We finally get the answer to Season 6's question: Who did Negan kill? The answer was, sadly, predictable. Following the comics, Negan killed Glenn, but then as an added "surprise," he also killed Abraham. If you read the comics, you knew Glenn was going to die; the fact that they followed the comics was somewhat disappointing, and made the whole reveal feel pedestrian.

This is also the season we meet the Scavengers and Oceanside. The Scavengers were underdeveloped (including their weirdly regressive way of speaking) and Oceanside was underused (all of their men were killed, leaving a community of women who could have stepped up to the plate and become badasses; instead, they just hide away).

7) Season 5

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Image via AMC

Season 5

My biggest complaint about Season 5 is that we spent all of Season 4 working to get to Terminus. Then we get to Terminus, and it is filled with cannibals. All is good so far. But then, Terminus falls and we are done with that storyline in, like, two episodes. It was hugely disappointing. All that anticipation with virtually no pay-off. This is also the season we meet Gabriel, a priest of dubious holiness. I never liked him. On top of that, I found the Grady Hospital storyline to be dull. A small community of people gather in a hospital, turn it into a dictatorship, and have virtually no interaction with or knowledge of the zombies outside. At least it ended with a big surprise death.

6) Season 8

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Image via AMC

Season 8

This season saw all-out war between the Saviors and the triad of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom. There was lots of fighting, and lots of death. We lost two major characters: Carl, and Shiva the tiger. Both of these were unexpected, and both made the black hole where my heart should be twinge a little. The black hole hardened again when we got a semi-sappy ending, with Carl dreaming of a world of peace and harmony, and Rick deciding to imprison Negan, rather than killing him.

5) Season 6

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Image via AMC

Season 6

Rick's group has finally "taken control" of Alexandria. This is the season we first meet the Saviors; we have the first attack on a Savior outpost; and by the season finale, we meet Negan and get a tremendous cliffhanger. We also meet the Wolves, a collection of survivors who, though we don't spend much time with them, are incredibly brutal. There is a lot of action--and a lot of killing--this season.

The dead this season include Jessie, her kids, Nicholas, and Deanna. This is also the season that really opens up the world of TWD. Rick's group becomes more integrated with the Alexandria community, and we get our first look at another major community, The Hilltop.

4) Season 1

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Image via AMC

Season 1

The first season, with only six episodes, was a brain-shattering experience when it first aired. Nothing like that had ever appeared on television before. It was a little slow, and none of the characters were very likeable, but the zombies were--and still are--some of the best zombies on any screen. It felt like the first time a "horror" show was given the care of a "prestige" show.

Season 1 was where we first met Morgan, who would later become an integral part of the Walking Dead universe. Fun fact: Carol and Daryl are the only two characters from Season One who are still alive and featured on the show. (Rick is still alive, but is off the show; and Morgan has moved over to Fear the Walking Dead.)

3) Season 2

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Image via AMC

Season 2

There is a lot to like about Season 2. Carl is shot accidentally, which leads us to the Greene farm. We meet Maggie and Hershel, who would ultimately be extremely important to the story. Plus, Hershel is a far better Old White Dude than Dale, who I always wanted to punch in the face.

Speaking of children in peril, this is the season where we lose Carol's daughter, Sophia, and rediscover her as a zombie. This is a defining moment for Carol, who goes from being a strong, survival-focused mother to a badass bitch. The end reveal of the walkers in the barn--and the fiery finale--make up for the soap opera that was Shane/Lori/Rick. I don't care who Judith's biological father is.

2) Season 4

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Image via AMC

Season 4

Season 4 ranks high for me, mainly because it contains my favorite episode of the series - and one of my favorite episodes of television, "The Grove." Young Lizzie, who has demonstrated that something isn't quite right with her, reaches full-psychosis. Believing that the walkers are friends, Lizzie kills her sister Mika in order to turn her into a zombie. Carol spends some time with the girl, trying to suss out if there was any way to help Lizzie. It becomes clear that Lizzie has a severe mental illness, the kind of thing that can only be helped with continual supervision and heavy medication ... if at all. Carol makes the decision to kill Lizzie, for the safety of everyone around her. It is an intense episode, one that I remember infuriated more than a few people. The rest of the season saw a lot of other good stories: The flu that wreaks havoc throughout the prison; Beth and Daryl growing closer; Michonne forming a bond with Rick and Carl; and the introduction of Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita.

1) Season 3

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Image via AMC

Season 3

Sorry Negan fans. The Governor is my favorite TWD villain. He has more nuance, more depth, than Negan. Negan feels like a narcissist with psychopathic tendencies. I feel like this is just an amped-up version of his pre-apocalypse self. The Governor felt like he was a normal guy who was broken by the apocalypse and it caused a massive shift. He can be kind one minute, then flip and be absolutely terrifying. There is intelligence and stratagem behind what he does. And when he goes nuts, he really goes nuts, like when he mowed down all of his followers with a machine gun because they didn't do what he said, or when he killed Andrea in a torturous fashion. In addition to the Governor, this is the season that brings us the most kick-ass character in the show, Michonne.

The Walking Dead returns for its Season 10 premiere this Sunday, October 6th. We'll be updating this ranking at the end of the season.

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