Fans of The Walking Dead who were saddened by the conclusion of the main series have much to look forward to as TWDU is far from over. When AMC first aired The Walking Dead in 2010 no one imagined what an impact the series would have in pop culture. The fandom that has been created is massive and ever growing and all of this spawed from the comic story created by Robert Kirkman.
When emphasis shifted from the previously announced trilogy of movies that was announced to feature Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) to the new spinoffs, fans were disappointed. During Comic-Con 2022, it would become clear why this occurred. The movies would be scrapped to make way for a surprise spinoff featuring Rick and Michonne with both Lincoln and Danai Gurira reprising their roles.
The Rick and Michonne spinoff annoucement along with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) led Dead City and Daryl Dixon's (Norman Reedus) spinoff, reenergized the fandom.
The Walking Dead aired its series finale episode on Nov. 20, 2022, and was an episode that gave the long-running series a satisfactory ending. The story ended by tying up several characters’ stories while leaving others open for new chapters. Those new stories will be told in the form of a spinoff series.
The Walking Dead spinoffs – complete list
Fear the Walking Dead
The first spinoff series, Fear the Walking Dead, began airing on Aug. 23, 2015. This story began in Los Angeles and, over time, has traveled to Mexico and Texas, and by the end of the story had a final location change. This is due to the filming change from Austin, Texas, to Savanah, Georgia. Fear TWD started at the onset of the outbreak and followed the blended family of Travis (Cliff Curtis) and Madison (Kim Dickens) as they learned to live in a world with the undead.
The series’ tone has altered vastly over the seven seasons, keeping the story fresh and exciting. Fans have been disappointed with the seventh season, but season 8 eight had promise as fan-favorite Madison Clark returned during the season 7 finale. Showrunners promised a series reinvention, and a seven-year time jump brought this story almost up to date with the flagship series. The highlight of the final season was the return of Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam-Carey) in the series finale episode, reuniting her with her mother.
The eighth season of Fear the Walking Dead was the last. Part one premiered on AMC and AMC+ in May 2023, with part 2 releasing in October. The series finale aired on November 19, 2023.
The Walking Dead World Beyond – created as a limited series, World Beyond aired its first episode on Oct. 4, 2020, and its final episode on Dec. 5, 2021. This coming-of-age series focused on a small group of survivors who had only lived behind walls since the outbreak. When they venture out, they discover a world filled with dangers, some human, some undead. This series gave a deep dive into the Civil Republic Military (CRM) mentioned in Fear TWD and is the group that took Rick Grimes away in a helicopter.
This series was supposed to be a tie-in to the movies, but now it will tie into Rick and Michonne’s continued story as Pollyanna McIntosh reprised her role as Jadis for World Beyond. She used Rick as her ticket into the organization, where she climbed the ranks to become Warrant Officer Jadis Stokes of the CRM. Her story will be continued in the Rick and Michonne spinoff.
Dead in the Water – This series is a special Fear the Walking Dead spinoff webisode. Following the story of the crew of the USS Pennsylvania, more specifically, the new father, Jason Riley, portrayed by Nick Stahl, who reprises his role from Fear the Walking Dead. He was a crew member on the submarine, which is how he knew about the nukes and was able to assist cult leader Teddy Maddox (John Glover) in detonating them. This is an exciting look into the submarine’s crew, which introduces a whole new set of characters to TWDU and how they learn what is happening with the outbreak. The entire web series is available to watch on YouTube.
Tales of the Walking Dead – this series consists of anthology-based episodes that premiered on AMC on Aug. 14, 2022. The first season featured six stories focusing on new or established characters from The Walking Dead series. It was a tremendous standalone series that opened up the world of TWDU by featuring new characters and new locations and spanning a vast timeline, with one episode taking place 30 years after the outbreak.
The only character from the flagship series who appeared in Tales of TWD was Samantha Morton’s Alpha in an episode that revealed much more about the future leader of the Whispers.
When asked about a second season of this series, TWD Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple stated that the current focus is on the three new series. Still, he would be open to revisiting this series for another season.
The Walking Dead: Dead City– the Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) spinoff is set on the island of Manhattan. Cut off from the mainland, the island is inhabited by residents, undead and alive, full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror. It was announced that Maggie and Negan would search for Hershel (Logan Kim), who had been abducted.
Dead City debuted on AMC and AMC+ on Jun. 18, 2023. Other cast members include Gaius Charles, Mahina Napoleon, Željko Ivanek, Jonathan Higginbotham, Karina Ortiz, Caleb Reese Paul, Pallavi Sastry, Lisa Emery, and Charlie Solis. It has also been announced that the role of Hershel Rhee, previously played by Kien Michael Spiller, has been recast by Ghostbusters: Afterlife actor Logan Kim to account for the time jump. Dead City will begin a few years after the timeline of The Walking Dead’s finale.
AMC announced that Dead City has been renewed for a second season that will begin production in 2024.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – this series was announced when the flagship's final season was announced and initially created to star Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. However, McBride bowed out, stating she needed a break after filming TWD for 12 years, and the filming location in Europe didn’t fit her schedule.
Daryl Dixon is set and filmed in France, and Daryl washed ashore without remembering how or why he was there. He encounters many new people who make his mission to return home difficult. Along the way, viewers discover more about how Daryl arrived in France during flashback scenes that feature Carol. This brings her back into the story as McBride will join the series in its second season.
Melissa McBride was officially announced to join season 2 at NYCC 2023. The title of this season has been altered to include a subtitle, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol.
Filming for the six-episode first season of this series concluded in March 2023, and this series was released on AMC and AMC+ on Sept. 10, 2023. Filming for the second season began soon after, but AMC wouldn't officially announce the second season until SDCC 2023.
Rick and Michonne spinoff
Rick & Michonne Spinoff – During Comic Con 2022, Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira made a surprise appearance to announce a Rick and Michonne series that will replace the movie trilogy announced several years ago. The first season of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (formerly known by the working title Summit) will have six episodes and be released in February 2024.
In August 2022, Scott M. Gimple shared more details about the series.
Filming for the series began in New Jersey in February 2023, and the only casting announcement so far has been that of Lucifer actress Lesley-Ann Brandt.
Rumors began circulating on social media that Pollyanna McIntosh, who plays Jadis in TWDU, has been seen on set. McIntosh shared that she was leaving Ireland for a new project and soon after posted a snowy photo with an American flag in the foreground. She was tied to the movies when they were announced, and she is an officer in the CRM, so it makes sense that she would appear in this series.
The Ones Who Live will premiere on Sunday, February 25, 2024. Pollyanna McIntosh, Terry O’Quinn, and Matt Jeffers were announced as new cast members for this series and joined previously announced Lesley-Ann Brandt.
More Tales of the Walking Dead – this short-form series was announced in April 2023, but it is unclear if this will be a second season of Tales of TWD or if it will be a standalone series. Nothing new has been mentioned about this series since the initial announcement.
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