Rick Grimes’ Final ‘The Walking Dead’ Episode Air Date Revealed

It is almost time for Rick Grimes to hang up his sheriff’s hat for good, with AMC officially announcing that actor Andrew Lincoln only has two episodes left.

On Sunday, the official The Walking Dead comic’s Twitter account announced that Rick Grimes’ final episode will air on Sunday, Nov. 4, something that was confirmed during the trailer for next week’s episode, which billed 9×04 and 9×05 as “Rick’s final two episodes.”

Titled “What Comes After,” the synopsis for season nine’s fifth episode reads, “Rick is forced to face the past as he struggles to maintain the safety of the communities and protect the future he and Carl envisioned.”

As ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis points out, the most recent episode of the AMC series potentially set up the title character’s exit, with Anne/Jadis communicating with another group through a radio, telling them that she “saw the helicopter last night.”

“What do you have, an A or a B?” the man on the other end responds. “No pickups, but the deal still stands. Do you have an A or a B?”

When Jadis informs the man that she has neither and that she is alone, claiming that she’s “paid my share,” the man informs her that she’s “been compensated.” He adds that it will take “an A” to get her out of her current situation.

As fans of the series will recall, Jadis once held Rick as a prisoner in a shipping container with an “A” written on the side, potentially foreshadowing Rick’s upcoming exit via the helicopter that has been spotted multiple times throughout past seasons.

Although the details of Rick’s exit are still unclear, one thing is known about the episode: it will feature the return of three fan-favorite characters.

“We were trying to lie and obfuscate for a long time, but we want to confirm that Jon Bernthal, who played Shane, will visit this season and come back,” showrunner Angela Kang announced. “We also have the wonderful Scott Wilson as Hershel as well as our wonderful Sonequa Martin-Green.”

The appearance will mark Wilson’s final on the series, as the actor passed away following a battle with cancer earlier this month. It was later confirmed that Wilson filmed his scenes prior to his passing.

Rick Grimes’ final episode of The Walking Dead airs Sunday, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.