The fourth season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 13, 2013, and concluded on March 30, 2014, consisting of 16 episodes.

Set several months after the attack on the prison by The Governor (David Morrissey) and his army, Rick has renounced his leadership in order to live a quiet and more peaceful life in contrast to his cold-hearted nature in the previous season.

Striving to hold onto humanity, Rick and his fellow survivors struggle to maintain their close to an ideal life at the prison as problems arise in the face of new evil, and threats within and outside the premises, including a deadly flu strain and the return of the vengeful Governor.

[9] In an interview with showrunner Scott Gimple, he shares: "The ultimate inspiration for The Walking Dead is the comic book.

Melissa McBride and Scott Wilson, who portray Carol Peletier and Hershel Greene, respectively, were added in the opening sequence after previously being credited as "Also starring".

David Morrissey, who plays The Governor, is not credited among the main cast until his reappearance in the episode "Live Bait".

Lennie James was initially reported to return as Morgan Jones, Rick's first human encounter in the apocalypse,[15] however showrunner Scott M. Gimple confirmed that he would not appear in the fourth season, saying that he was misquoted.

The site's critical consensus reads: "Consistently thrilling, with solid character development and enough gore to please grindhouse fans, this season of The Walking Dead continues to demonstrate why it's one of the best horror shows on television.

[39][40] Melissa McBride was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards.

It was also released in limited edition Blu-ray packaging, a replica of the tree walker (featured in the episode "Isolation"), designed by Greg Nicotero and sculpted by McFarlane Toys.