Norman Reedus May Be TV’s Biggest Star Right Now

The post Norman Reedus May Be TV’s Biggest Star Right Now appeared first on Consequence.

How does one judge the star power of a celebrity? Especially in an age where the value of a movie star at the box office is on the decline, there are many factors to consider: The salary they’re able to command, the awards they’ve won, their ability to get their passion projects made, or maybe even just whether or not people recognize them as they walk down the street. Which means that while Norman Reedus might not spring to mind as the biggest name on TV (especially in an age where the aforementioned movie stars are crossing over to the small screen regularly), right now he’s definitely thriving.

Having made his first appearance in The Walking Dead’s third-ever episode, back in 2010, the fan-favorite star went on to appear in 175 episodes of the series, the most of any actor to appear on the long-running zombie series. And now, he’s got his very own spin-off, the aptly-titled The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, premiering Sunday, Sept. 10th on AMC.

Actually, for accuracy’s sake — he doesn’t just have his own spin-off, he has his own programming block. AMC is actually leaning into this state of affairs — dubbing this Sunday’s premiere night as “Night with Norman, aka Une Nuit avec Norman.” — because following Daryl Dixon is the season premiere of Ride With Norman Reedus. It’s the sixth season premiere of Ride With, to be exact; there have been five prior seasons of the docuseries featuring Reedus and celebrity friends indulging in one of Reedus’s off-screen passions: motorcycles.

Financially, it’s a passion he’s a great position to explore. In 2018, Reedus’s reported salary for The Walking Dead was $1 million an episode, a salary that matches him with The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss and ranks him just below established stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon (who were each paid $1.1 million for the first season of what would become The Morning Show). Oh, and it’s literally double what Oscar winner Sean Penn got for the short-lived Hulu series The First, that same year. No verifiable information about Reedus’ Daryl Dixon salary was available, but it feels like a fair guess that it’s at least on par with that 2018 rate, if not higher.

Reedus becoming one of TV’s biggest stars happened relatively gradually, as The Walking Dead kept shedding cast members as seasons passed, with his true ascendancy coming in 2018, when original series star Andrew Lincoln left the show and by default, Reedus, Melissa McBride, and Danai Gurira essentially became co-leads, with Reedus proving to be the one who would outlast them all.

A major factor in Daryl’s appeal was that yes, his initial introduction was largely caught up in his anger at Rick for leaving his (racist) brother to die — being associated with Merle (Michael Rooker) from the jump wasn’t the strongest recommendation of his character. However, when it came to the business of surviving a zombie apocalypse, he was competent.

Norman Reedus in the first season of The Walking Dead (AMC)

Watching competent people handle difficult situations is a source of entertainment familiar to those who love home renovation shows and Top Chef — yet its appeal also carries over into fiction. Part of The Walking Dead franchise’s longevity has come from the fact that it’s not just a show about dodging the undead, but surviving in their world — both of which are stressful propositions. Which made it soothing, in a way, to witness someone whose response to a still-moving zombie head was annoyance, followed by swiftly addressing the problem. “C’mon people, what the hell?” he says, shooting the aforementioned head and then immediately retrieving the arrow. “It’s gotta be the brain. Don’t y’all know nothing?”

That same competency continues in Daryl Dixon, as the titular hero arrives in France to discover that European zombies are just as annoying as the American kind. He also quickly gets caught up in a new quest — protecting a young boy who might have an important role to play in the days to come. At least, that’s the belief of the nun protecting him (Clémence Poésy, getting more to do than talk about time inversion or marry a Weasley, for once).

Immediately after that first episode, for those who still watch live cable television, AMC debuts the season premiere of Ride With Norman Reedus. (Again, its sixth season premiere.) In the episode, Keanu Reeves (seriously!!!) joins Reedus for a low-key adventure through Utah, exploring the state’s most remote and beautiful landscapes on their respective bikes. It is 42 minutes of shaggy-looking dudes worth millions of dollars goofing around with the locals (most of whom recognize both Reeves and Reedus, though Reedus gets more autograph requests), and it is a good time.

Ride With Norman Reedus (and Keanu) (AMC)

Ride isn’t the only travelogue show supported by a celebrity presence which also covertly feels like the talent involved trying to get a free vacation on someone else’s dime. Ewan McGregor might have been an early trendsetter here with his Long Way series (which also take place on two wheels), but stars ranging from Chris Hemsworth to Stanley Tucci to Eugene Levy have also played in this territory. Frankly, it’s an opportunity none of us would pass up, if it came our way.

The one area where Reedus hasn’t been so lucky is awards: He’s a nine-time People’s Choice nominee for The Walking Dead, but hasn’t been recognized much beyond that. So there are limits to his star power. But six seasons worth of paid vacations aren’t a bad tradeoff.

Reedus was 41 years old when he made his first appearance on The Walking Dead — prior to that, his career was a long string of small roles in films including Gossip and Blade II. Probably his most high-profile project up to that point was co-starring in the notorious cult film The Boondock Saints (and despite a sequel 10 years later, it never became a true phenomenon).

Like a lot of actors, ultimately, Reedus was a talent in search of a definitive role. Some folks go their entire lives without finding it. Maybe instead they piece together a living as a bit player on the margins of bigger projects. Or they decide it’s never going to happen for them, and they wind up leaving the business with an assortment of clips to show friends and loved ones, years later. Their stories about working with the famous person at the center of the frame will become well-polished with time. Distant but beloved memories.

Without The Walking Dead, it’s easy to imagine Reedus’s career going down a similar path. Yet that’s part of Hollywood’s magic. The impossible can happen, if you’re lucky and ready. One job can change your life forever, make it possible for you to become rich and famous and friends with Keanu Reeves. Reedus is operating in a smaller fishbowl than many of the stars working today in television, but there’s no denying his power within that specific realm. And hopefully, he’s enjoying it.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs Sundays on AMC, followed by Ride With Norman Reedus. Both will be available for streaming on AMC+.

Norman Reedus May Be TV’s Biggest Star Right Now
Liz Shannon Miller

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