Noel Murray of Rolling Stone ranked Rick Grimes 5th in a list of 30 best Walking Dead characters, saying, "while former sheriff Rick Grimes has had plenty of stretches where he's been overwhelmed by his emotions or has made outright idiotic decisions, he's ultimately remained the compelling, charismatic character that he was when we first met him. He represents The Walking Dead's conflicted core, the conduit that writers use to explore both the hard choices a successful survivalist has to make and what it costs people when they become unfazed by death."Murray, Noel (December 7, 2016). "30 Best 'Walking Dead' Characters". Rolling Stone.
