Norman Reedus says 'everybody dies' in The Walking Dead series finale

There are only two episodes left of The Walking Dead. After 11 seasons, the AMC zombie drama is finally closing up shop with the Nov. 20 series finale. Of course, there will be multiple new shops opening up with a plethora of TWD spin-offs coming in 2023, but the mothership is indeed about to be grounded.

For the folks that make The Walking Dead, there was a swirl of emotions around filming of the final installment (which we chronicled in our exhaustive digital cover story.) But what will the last episode feel like for the fans who are watching? What sort of emotions will the series finale bring up? "I think there'll be a mixture of nostalgia and hope," says Lauren Ridloff, who plays investigative reporter/badass Connie.

We asked several other key cast members (Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Josh McDermitt, Melissa McBride) and producers (Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Scott M. Gimple) what we can expect to see and what we can expect to feel while watching the finale, and they dropped plenty of clues along the way.

Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)

"There are certain moments that are super sad. And then there are certain moments that are like, 'F--- yeah, that's the group!' There will be people yelling 'Come on!' There will be lots of that sort of screaming at the television kind of stuff. We went big on the last eight episodes, so there's a lot of adrenaline. There's a lot of emotion. There's a lot of fear. There are all of the things that you would want in a finale, for sure. There's a lot happening. Some of the groups show some real bravery that you don't see coming, which is great. And they're big sets — big badass movie sets. And then everybody dies. NO, KIDDING!"

Jace Downs/AMC Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon on 'The Walking Dead'

Lauren Cohan (Maggie Rhee)

"There are some things that happen that are going to be really, really moving and a part of this world, which is death and a great feeling of loss. But, for me, the experience of making those parts of it were sublimely beautiful and only enhanced the surviving people's connection and bond. That has always been that everlasting light in the show for me: For everything you overcome together, how much more does it cement your sense of mission and your sense of purpose and the strength that we all need to find within ourselves? Because even if we don't know what it is, there is a reason to keep moving forward.

"I think it's exciting because it sets us up for where the remaining people will be and where they will go. So I do think [showrunner Angela Kang] did a really good job of the reality of a show ending and how we experience that through things that may happen with certain characters in the show, and the horizon line of where we can go from here with the people we still love who are still here."

Josh Stringer/AMC Lauren Cohan on 'The Walking Dead'

Josh McDermitt (Eugene Porter)

"I think people watch the show for many different reasons. They all have their characters they're rooting for and pulling for, and they have their characters they're rooting for to die. I've heard people in their 80s talk about watching this show with their grandkids, and it brings people together. So to watch the finale, I hope that whatever reason they're watching it for, that we do it justice and we satisfy them to the point that they came away and said, 'I'm really happy I invested 11 seasons into this show, and there's still more story to tell, and I wish it would keep going.'"

Jace Downs/AMC Josh McDermitt on 'The Walking Dead'

Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier)

"Oh man, I think the fans are going to be really moved by that final episode. It's beautiful. Some of the shots I'm still seeing in my head, and they're really beautiful with the music. I know that they're going to be moved by it. The great thing is that there are still these spinoffs that are coming, but I'm going to be interested to see how the fans feel as this is the finale for our mothership show."

Josh Stringer/AMC Melissa McBride on 'The Walking Dead'

Greg Nicotero (finale director, executive producer)

"We really wanted to pull The Walking Dead back into a season 1, 2, 3 vibe. We really wanted to make sure that the walker threat was real, that the stakes were high, and that they needed to do what they could do to save their community. There's a lot of emotion, there's some fantastic moments, there's some fun action scenes. And we even kind of upped the gore a little bit more than we usually do, which I know a lot of people like. So I do think that it feels like a bit of a throwback episode because it's propulsive and it's nonstop and it really just keeps going. And then, all of a sudden, you get to this moment where you are forced to feel something, and I'm pretty proud of it."

Jace Downs/AMC Greg Nicotero, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Lauren Cohan on 'The Walking Dead'

Angela Kang (showrunner, executive producer)

"In typical Walking Dead fashion, there are going to be tears. But I think also, in typical Walking Dead fashion, there is also warmth, if that makes sense. Because I think that this show is so much about family and found family. And that's kind of what we want to leave people with."

Gene Page/AMC Angela Kang, Scott M. Gimple, and Michael Satrazemis on 'The Walking Dead'

Scott M. Gimple (chief content officer, executive producer)

"There's a lot of shock in it. There's a lot of tension in it. I think they might feel angry on behalf of our characters. It's a frigging intense finale. It just goes, goes, goes. You could compare some aspects of it to, I believe, the second episode of season 6 with the Wolves. Ot has a certain intensity that just goes, goes, goes. And then there are these moments of pain, but there are moments of beauty and recognition of the journey and of love.

"TWD family is something that's been said many, many times and it's real. And I include the fans in that wholeheartedly because you go this long and constantly caring and worried about and standing side by side with these characters. And it's the type of show you turn off, you want to talk to someone and you want to connect with someone.

Gene Page/AMC Scott M. Gimple and Jeffrey Dean Morgan on 'The Walking Dead'

"And with this show, you feel the family that these characters have become with each other, which I think is one of the biggest takeaways from Robert Kirkman's book and from the show is that person you cross on the street could be like family to you if for just a couple of turns of the dial of what's going on. And especially with what's going on right now, I think that's really a powerful thing to recognize.

"Things weren't quite so fractured when we started, but with all the divides between us, I really do believe a little walker apocalypse can really make people recognize like, 'Oh yeah, we're family. We don't believe in the same things. And we don't act the same way and we don't have the same priorities, but we are family.' And I think that is something that comes through in the finale, both in super harsh ways and super beautiful ways and moving ways. And in talking with Angela and working on certain aspects of the finale, it's there. And I hope people dig it."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The Walking Dead didn't originally end with that 'f--- s--- up' line

• Yvette Nicole Brown just had a super sneaky Walking Dead cameo

• The Walking Dead showrunner explains what happens at Outpost 22

• Josh Hamilton's fly was down for his biggest Walking Dead scene

• The latest Walking Dead victim originally had a different death

• Teo Rapp-Olsson talks about Sebastian's gruesome death on The Walking Dead

• Dead end: On set for the final days of The Walking Dead

• The Walking Dead premiere flashes back to the very beginning

• Lauren Cohan hopes to play Maggie on Walking Dead shows 'forever'

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan on almost walking away from The Walking Dead

• The Walking Dead still working on possible post-credits series finale scene