The fourth season of The Walking Dead finds Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) desperate to rediscover his own humanity and preserve what he can of his son Carl's (Chandler Riggs) childhood through reinventing himself as a farmer while a counsel including Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) in addition to several Woodbury ex-pats take on leadership roles. His newfound sense of peace is quickly derailed, however, when a mysterious illness begins to decimate the community. Elsewhere, the disgraced Governor (David Morrissey) roams the apocalyptic streets on his own until happening upon a family of survivors who reignite both his will to survive and take revenge against Rick, who he blames for the loss of Woodbury. Following a massacre at the prison, the group is splintered into several factions, none of whom can be sure about the fates of the others, and forced to find shelter among a population of survivors that can pose as much and often more of a threat than the walkers themselves.

The third season of Falling Skies picks up just seven months after the 2nd Mass devastated Charleston, South Carolina, upon their arrival. With Tom having been elected to political office in the interim, the resistance continues to mount whatever opposition they can to keep the alien invaders from gaining full control.