Given the popularity of The Walking Dead, it’s no wonder that the hit AMC series has so many spinoffs. While the spinoff about Michonne and Rick Grimes has gotten plenty of attention, Fear the Walking Dead is likely the spinoff that people are the most familiar with. The first episode premiered in August 2015 and the final episode aired in November 2023. But many might not know that there is also a prequel series called Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water that is about the USS Pennsylvania.

When Fear the Walking Dead‘s eighth and last season was announced, the Walking Dead spinoffs were given release windows. Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water premiered in 2022, but many fans may not have gotten the chance to watch it.

What Is Fear The Walking Dead: Dead In The Water About?

Fear the Walking Dead: Dead In the Water tells the story of the USS Pennsylvania crew sailing close to the Gulf of Mexico. The main character, Jason Riley (Nick Stahl), was a lieutenant working for Teddy in season 6 of Fear the Walking Dead. He appeared in five episodes and now he is a weapons officer who is figuring out if he and his crew members can survive a deadly virus outbreak and fight the walkers who have emerged. Throughout the prequel’s six episodes, Riley and the other characters attempt to escape.

Since Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water is a prequel, it sets up some important backstory for the main plot of Fear the Walking Dead. Since Fear the Walking Dead is a good spinoff, it makes sense to create a prequel that explores this world even more. In seasons 6 and 7 of Fear the Walking Dead, the USS Pennsylvania is a crucial setting. The Doomsday Cult becomes interested in this vessel, which was a U.S. Navy submarine. While the cult plans a terrifying attack from the submarine, the presence of radiation foils that goal.

Who Stars In Fear The Walking Dead: Dead In The Water?

Nick Stahl as Jason Riley

Jason Francisco Blue as Pierce
Ja’Quan Monroe-Henderson as Winokur Jay Gutierrez as Lieutenant Alvarez
Emmett Hunter as Captain Renwick
Garret Graham as Ginger
John Franklin as Bacon

While post-apocalypse stories are becoming boring, Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water is more compelling since it’s set in an interesting location. Watching Jason Riley and his crew make tough, snap-second decisions on the ship is entertaining.

Where To Watch Fear The Walking Dead: Dead In The Water

Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water is also called Dead in the Water: A Fear the Walking Dead Story and has six episodes which are available on AMC+.

While Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water was released in 2022, not every fan of the original series got the chance to watch it. As several fans have discussed on Reddit, it can be watched before or after Fear the Walking Dead since it tells a separate story.

Is It Worth It To Watch Fear The Walking Dead: Dead In The Water?

Although fans felt fatigued by The Walking Dead by the eleventh and final season, the prequel Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water is worth watching. Since there are only six episodes, it’s a quick binge-watch that will add some compelling background to the main storyline of the original series. Just like fans wonder about what Daryl Dixon did before the series, there are many questions about the USS Pennsylvania.

It’s also possible to watch Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water without having seen every episode of The Walking Dead or even Fear the Walking Dead. As Fear the Walking Dead showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson explained in an interview with uk.amc.com, people could watch Fear the Walking Dead without having seen the original TV series. He said:

“you don’t have to know anything about ‘The Walking Dead’ to become hooked on ‘Fear.’ Speaking with lots of people – with the actors, the producers and some viewers – they all agree that the way we approached the story means you don’t need any prior knowledge of the comics or the other series.”

Erickson continued:

“But we’ve structured it in such a way that if you are a fan of the original graphic novels and you watch “The Walking Dead”, you’ll immediately recognise the mythology and you’ll see how the stories are layered. But you’ll also appreciate the different approach that “Fear” takes; the different point of view it has.”

Erickson’s words can be applied to Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water. It’s fun for fans of the Walking Dead, which is one of the most interesting 2010s TV shows, to see more of this specific location, but anyone can watch this prequel and then move on to the rest of the popular franchise.