'Walking Dead's Michael Cudlitz Andrew Lincoln's Says Exit Cleans the Slate for' Frustrated 'Fans (Exclusive)

Michael Cudlitz knows fans are a little skeptical about Andrew Lincoln's exit.

The Walking Dead star had been playing Rick Grimes for the past eight seasons, but made it to the AMC series last week, just five episodes into season nine. Fans of the show are ready to move in with their main character, see what is going on in the Cudlitz, it sets the stage for a "totally new show."

Cudlitz's own character, Abraham, was brutally killed by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the season seven premiere. However, he's returning to TWD to live the Nov. 18 episode, "Stradivarius," and told ET's Lauren Zima on Friday that Lincoln was still very much part of the series.

"He was still around when I came back, I went back to live, two episodes after he left the show, and he was still poking around and going out of his stuff," he revealed exit. "I think it's great for the show, honestly.I think the show has, in some ways, have come out of the comics that the comic book is getting frustrated."

"They've gotten rid of anyone's ability to say, 'Well, this is not right, that's not right.' Guess what? It's a new show now, "he noted.

Carl's (Chandler Riggs) A sudden change in the direction of the bandwagon. "Angela Kang came in as a showrunner, and she's doing a bunch of weird things. audience is going to really, really respond to that, "Cudlitz offered.

As for the way fans said goodbye to Grimes – he was mysteriously taken away by a helicopter – Cudlitz is a fan. "I like it, I think it's open," he said, seemingly commenting on the three upcomingTWD Lincoln movies will star in for AMC.

"It keeps the door open for telling other stories with that character, where you would have a lot of alternate universes and competing universes and characters that would not typically," he explained. "It's a world that they've created, and I think it's a very, very smart choice because I think it's a good time, that's when you really cross the line, that you can not come back from. "

For now, Cudlitz is focused on his new ABC comedy, The Kids Are Alright, which was just picked up for season two. "We're excited," he said. "We finish up this week with our 12th episos, and then we'll come back to the holidays and finish up [filming]. "

The show is set around a family with eight sounds in the 1970s, but the actor has a simple explanation for why audiences find it so relatable today. "I think it's a lot of things, because we do not change over time. We're able to do this to push back in time, so we're able to see the kids without parents," he says. said, noting that unsupervised kids in the past got into some pretty hilarious situations.

The Kids Are Alright Tuesdays at 8:30 pm ET / PT on ABC.

RELATED CONTENT:

'Walking Dead' Boss Answers Our Biggest Questions: What's Next for Rick, Where's Maggie & More! (Exclusive)

Andrew Lincoln to Continue Playing 'Walking Dead'

'The Walking Dead': Andrew Lincoln's Final Episode Ends in Big Twist!