AMC Networks has created quite the undead franchise, beginning with The Walking Dead, a story based on the comic books created by Robert Kirkman.
AMC’s wildly popular apocalyptic series, The Walking Dead, is the flagship story, which has since spawned a long list of spinoffs. Each series is set in the same world, with all but three featuring new characters in different areas of the United States. In July 2023, the first direct spinoff was released, followed by two more. What is the release order of these series?
The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
The Walking Dead series was released on Halloween night 2010. The pilot episode did an incredible job of drawing viewers into the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). Most became instant fans and never looked back. In 2022, the series aired its final episode on November 20. It was bittersweet as fans said goodbye to a series they watched for 12 years. Throughout its eleven seasons, as with any long-running show, the series had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a fantastic story set in an undead apocalypse that was more about survivors.
Fear the Walking Dead (2015-2023)
In 2013, AMC announced that a companion series to The Walking Dead was in development. On August 23, 2015, the pilot episode of Fear the Walking Dead debuted. This story was set in Los Angeles at the onset of the outbreak. The beginning of this series followed the characters as they tried to piece together what was happening while acclimating to a world overrun by the undead. The series aired eight seasons, with the final episode on November 19, 2023. The first four seasons were the best of this series, and the finale nicely wrapped up the stories of the survivors.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020-2021)
The second spinoff of TWD was a limited coming-of-age series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. This two-season series was told in 10-part seasons that followed a group of teens who had lived behind walls since the outbreak, which occurred when they were very young. The first season features the teens embarking on a journey outside the walls where a world they could never have imagined awaited them. In season 2, viewers got the first real look at the CRM (Civic Republic Military), a vast and powerful organization teased in the other series.
Tales of the Walking Dead (2022-present)
Tales of the Walking Dead is a unique spinoff as it is presented in an episodic anthology format. Each of the six episodes is a new story, with new characters, set in locations around the United States, and at different times after the outbreak. This series also introduced an origin story of Alpha (Samantha Morton), a character featured in the main series, which greatly altered what was previously disclosed about this character. Overall it was an interesting concept and most of the episodes were quite entertaining.
The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023-present)
The Walking Dead: Dead City was released in 2023 and became the first direct spinoff of the main series. This story expanded the universe, being set in Manhattan and the surrounding areas while also continuing the stories of Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Maggie and Negan were long-time enemies and main characters in TWD. The response to this series was overwhelmingly positive. Dead City has been renewed for a second season that will premiere in 2025.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023-present)
The second direct spinoff, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, premiered in 2023 and is another series that significantly increases TWDU. The first season features the titular character, played by Norman Reedus, in an overseas journey to France. This is quite the departure from TWD’s wooded setting. This series takes Daryl into a new, unfamiliar world where he meets new people, friends, and foes while he tries to return home. The series has been renewed for second and third seasons with Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) joining in season 2, subtitled The Book of Carol. This season will debut on September 29, 2024. The third and possibly fourth seasons will be filmed and set in Spain. Filming for this season began in August 2024.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (2024)
The long-awaited reunion between Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) was finally realized in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. This limited spinoff filled in the journeys experienced by both characters while they were apart via flashbacks and featured the blessed reunion the fandom had longed for. After reuniting, they took on the CRM, the organization Rick was traded to after his season 9 departure from the main series. He was found severely wounded on the riverbank by Jadis/Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh), who proceeded to trade him for personal gain. It was a fabulous story of perseverance that, at its heart, was an epic love story.
Chief Content Officer of TWD, Scott M. Gimple, has long teased more spinoffs with in TWDU. So far, nothing else has been announced but fans wait with baited breath.
