Characters We Miss (and, seriously, if you haven’t figured this out, SPOILERS AHEAD): Shane

Shane saved Rick’s entire family at the start of the outbreak by barricading Rick’s hospital room and taking Lori and Carl with him when he fled. He probably shouldn’t have started sleeping with his ex-partner’s wife, but to his credit, he really believed Rick was dead. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Beth

Beth grew a lot over the course of the series, and had a great arc toward the end at the hospital. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she tried to stab Dawn, but we miss her and Daryl’s relationship. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters Who Need to Go: Carl

Carl’s had a tough life. And he, Rick, and Morgan are the only people we met in the pilot episode who are still around. That said: Maybe a bite on the neck wouldn’t be such a tragedy. Every time his dad tells him to stay put, Carl feels the need to wander off — usually attracting a few Walkers on his way back.

We get that not listening to your dad is a normal part of being a teenager, but maybe pay attention when it’s also the literal apocalypse? And he’s the reason Dale is dead. Not cool. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Tyreese

He got bitten, and we don’t blame Michonne for trying to save him–but ultimately causing his death–by cutting his arm off. But Tyreese was a strong leader who remained compassionate even in the face of all the violence his group of survivors had to endure, and it was sad to see him go. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: The Governor

OK, yes, the Governor was a murderer and probably a sociopath. And if he hadn’t died, he would have murdered Rick. But man, he was a hell of a character. It’s hard not to love a good villain! (Photo by: AMC)

Characters Who Need to Go: Father Gabriel

It’s the apocalypse. You need to be down with killing zombies. Father Gabriel’s proselytizing is annoying. He’s a coward and he’s shady as hell, weak, and frankly, a liability. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Hershel

Aw, Hershel. He helped his fellow survivors make a lot of tough choices with compassion and thoughtfulness. Whenever characters present themselves as the moral center for the group, their death warrant is basically signed. Still, everyone was devastated by his loss in the Season 4 midseason “finale.” (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Dale

Without his RV, would any of them have made it this far? Dale was one of the rare deaths that wasn’t from a Walker bite. Instead, he died after Carl messed around with a trapped zombie and accidentally freed it, and it slashed Dale in the stomach. Even Hershel couldn’t save him. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Andrea

She and Michonne developed a really beautiful, if sometimes complicated, relationship over the course of the show. Andrea tried to be friends with everyone and save everyone, which was a noble (if doomed) cause. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters Who Need to Go: Rosita

You can’t be useless during the apocalypse. Rosita is definitely useless. She defends Abraham, despite his nonstop drinking and bad behavior, and forgives Eugene pretty easily, considering he lied to everyone about being a scientist who could cure the zombie infection. We hope she’ll get more interesting in Season 6. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: T-Dog

T-Dog–a.k.a. Theodore Douglas–told Carol his inevitable death was all part of God’s plan. But did it have to be part of AMC’s plan? We barely got to know him before he sacrificed himself to save Carol. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters Who Need to Go: Sasha

Like Rosita, Sasha is a little boring. Also, she keeps making bad decisions about to Bob, including letting him come on that first supply run, murdering Martin over him, and then befriending yet another person named Bob, who almost immediately turns around and betrays her. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Lori

Early in the series, Lori’s betrayal of Rick made audiences feel like she couldn’t get eaten fast enough. But when she died so that Baby Judith could be born? And those final words to her son? There weren’t enough tears. Plus, with so many stone-faced characters on the show, it was nice to have one person who didn’t mind showing emotion. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters We Miss: Merle

Merle was a jerk, but you can’t deny that he and Daryl truly loved each other. Watching Daryl struggle with having to put down his brother was truly gut-wrenching. It was kind of Merle’s fault for that whole trying-to-murder-the-Governor thing. But we miss him anyways. (Photo by: AMC)

Characters Who Need to Go: Rick

This, admittedly, is a controversial pick. Rick’s had a good run, but he’s getting annoying. At this point, his storylines have become repetitive: Rick struggles with whether to be a pacifist or a zombie-slaying machine, Rick struggles with Carl being a little jerk, Rick struggles to make a plan and it all goes poorly (see: the Season 6 premiere with the harebrained idea to parade the zombies around Alexandria). Will AMC kill the main character of the show? Probably not. But it’s time for someone else to step up as the main leader of the group. (Photo by: AMC)