The Walking Dead season 9’s next eight episodes are "the best since season one" according to Norman Reedus

While The Walking Dead season 9 has taken a massive leap forward in time, the show is still desperately looking to recreate the magic from years gone by. At one time, it was held up as one of the best dramas around. Norman Reedus, though, is convinced that the upcoming eight episodes are some of the best since the show’s original run way back in 2010.

In a move that will intrigue and possibly incite fans who are disappointed by the The Walking Dead’s dip in quality since the show’s glory days, Reedus tells 11Alive (via ComicBook.com) that “I gotta tell you, the season that’s about to come out, the second half, is our best season since season one”

The show, which returns this Sunday, has been dragging its feet for a handful of seasons now, with many believing that Rick’s pursuit of Negan overshot its mark. But now things may have changed.

Reedus – who plays Daryl Dixon on the show – believes that the show is going to remain fresh because of how much it can shift in terms of tone and direction, saying “The show’s kind of like a virus, it sort of adapts and becomes a different thing. I mean, the secret is, we keep moving. We don’t do the same thing over and over. “

So, can they do it? The time jump, along with Andrew Lincoln leaving the show, certainly gives The Walking Dead season 9 more room to manoeuvre than ever before, pathing the way for the shocks and scares that littered the opening few seasons. Whether it’ll return to the quality we witnessed in the early years remains to be seen but, of course, there’s only way to find out – and that’s to tune in on February 10.