AMC makes the Walking Dead announcement fans have been longing for

Big announcements are far and few between for the Walking Dead franchise these days. Although our favorite group of survivors are very much still out there fighting the dead in the multiple spinoffs that are keeping the TWD Universe alive at this point, their brief seasons and long gaps between releases can make it feel a little sparse - especially when compared to the good old days of 16-episode seasons for original series The Walking Dead.

So when any announcements are made in any corner of this franchise, it's something worth celebrating. Well, as long as it's good news, that is. And this most recent one, which came about at New York Comic-Con, most certainly is!

The Walking Dead: The Complete Series coming to AMC+ in 2027

AMC has finally made it official after all this time: The Walking Dead is coming to AMC+ on January 7, 2027. Billed as The Walking Dead: The Complete Series, the arrival was announced at New York Comic-Con, with the franchise's boss Scott M. Gimple being the one to make it during the NYCC panel for the fourth and final season of spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Now, the concept of the legendary series coming to AMC+ next year might seem a little alien to you considering that AMC produced and aired it throughout the 2010s, but the show has never actually been a part of the studios' streaming arm. The reason for that was due to the extremely-successful deal that AMC and Netflix have had for years, which allows The Walking Dead to stream on that platform.

Times have changed since then and studios / networks prefer their shows to be on their own respective streamers, but the Walking Dead one has been incredibly lucrative for both AMC and Netflix, as the show consistently remains a top-perform for Netflix, reaching new audiences even after all these years. So, when it came time to renegotiate its streaming future earlier this year, a deal was drawn up to allow it to stay on Netflix while also being allowed to stream on AMC+. A win-win all-around.

The announcement poster reads "Stream the entire universe. Every season. Every episode. Every exclusive." And it's true; The Walking Dead now joins the rest of the TWD Universe on the platform, becoming the franchise's last TV show to do so. Original spinoff Fear The Walking Dead arrived on AMC= shortly after it concluded its eight-season run, while other classic spinoffs World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead have been a part of its line-up for quite some time now.

Meanwhile, the three newer spinoffs created after The Walking Dead's conclusion in 2022, are AMC+ originals. The season premiere of Dead City set the record for the highest-watched premiere on the streamer back in 2023, before the premiere of Daryl Dixon did the exact same thing. Then, Rick and Michonne-led spinoff The Ones Who Live eclipsed both of those to take the record for itself - and, almost three years on, it still holds that record.

Again, it sounds strange to say considering that AMC made The Walking Dead, but getting the streaming rights back to the original series is a huge win for AMC+. While the streamer still has its success stories, it's still renowned for The Walking Dead all these years later, so it never seemed right that the series wasn't available for the streamer. And, as its success on Netflix has indeed proven, it's still a juggernaut after all these years. It makes sense that AMC gets to enjoy a piece of that streaming puzzle now, too.

The Walking Dead originally premiered on AMC's linear channel back in 2010, becoming an instant hit. But its popularity would continue to bubble away, as the series showed insane levels of growth throughout its first few seasons, growing from the first season's 5 million viewers to season 3's 10 million. The season 7 premiere was a viewership peak for the show, reaching 17 million, before the ineviable decline - and the decline of linear television itself - began.

The Walking Dead arrives on AMC+ on January 7, 2027.

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