Why Greg Nicotero And Norman Reedus' Series Finale Send-Off Has TWD Fans In Tears

Even the most casual fan of AMC's "The Walking Dead" probably knows there's quite an active revolving door on the set of the long-running zombie walker drama. Indeed, of the series regular characters that appeared in the first season, only two characters, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carole Peletier (Melissa McBride), remain active in the final season. As fans of the series undoubtedly remember, many characters have been killed off in the course of the show's 11 seasons. Of course, while the stars of the series are the best-known members of the crew, it takes a literal whole village to put on a show like "The Walking Dead." 

Behind the camera (and occasionally in front of it too), "The Walking Dead" producer and special make-up effects artist Greg Nicotero has served as a constant source of creativity and enthusiasm throughout the run of the series. Nicotero first got his start in the world of the dead on George Romero's 1985 film "Day of the Dead" under the tutelage of Tom Savini (via IMDb). In the years since, Nicotero has invented some of the most iconic zombie biter looks ever committed to screen. 

While we don't see him nearly as often as stars like Reedus and McBride, Nicotero is nonetheless one of the most central members of "The Walking Dead" family. In fact, Nicotero's recent Instagram post marking the last day of filming on the series has captured the hearts of a plethora of fans.

"The Walking Dead" actor Norman Reedus and producer Greg Nicotero marked the occasion of the final day of filming on the series in a heartwarming video posted to Instagram. In the 36-second video, Reedus and Nicotero embrace each other as they prepare to bid farewell to the series that made them both famous. In one part of the video, Nicotero half-way jokingly asks Reedus if he remembers starting the show "when we were babies." 

"I feel like my entire brain is short circuiting right now," Reedus says, clearly emotional over the thought of ending such an important part of his life. "I can't really wrap my head around this."

"It's hard, but 12 hours from now, the world is going to be a different place," Nicotero responds. Ever the silver-tongued devil, Reedus quickly replies, "Yeah, I'll be on the bathroom floor with a martini, in tears."

Based on the comments left on the Instagram video, Reedus and Nicotero's emotional response would appear to be quite a common one.

Immediately upon posting, this video became the go-to place for a bevy of mournful fans, including a number of notable names. Legendary Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash posted a comment that tells us he is clearly going to miss the series. "I can't believe it's over," Slash said. "What an epic journey for one of the greatest & most original TV series ever!"

Former stars of the "The Walking Dead" left a few comments as well. Steven Ogg, better known among "The Walking Dead" fans as Simon, left a comment sending his well wishes. "Sending you and the entire TWD family so much... LOVE and congratulations," Ogg wrote. Only a few hours later, actress Emily Kinney, who previously starred on the series as Beth, left an eye hearts emoji.

While we don't yet know when the last eight episodes of the series will air, the final episode of "The Walking Dead" Season 11, Part 2 will air on AMC on April 10.