Some days in fandom are just ordinary dates, and some are etched into memory forever. For a huge franchise such as The Walking Dead, there are many important dates that fans keep in the back of their minds. With the original series and its six spinoffs, many fans keep track of the anniversaries of certain episodes, the premieres that changed everything, and the finales that left us eager for more.
This February, we're coming up on a very special day for The Walking Dead franchise. That day is February 25. True Walking Dead fans probably already know what’s on the horizon, but if you’re not sure, we’re about to fill you in!
February 25 marks 2 years since The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premiered
Can you believe it? It's really about to be two years since The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live first premiered, a spinoff that reunited fans with some of the franchise’s most beloved characters while introducing new faces and intense storylines. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premiered on AMC on Feb. 25, 2024, and tons of people tuned in, instantly making it a must-watch event.
However, it doesn't come as a surprise at all that so many people were drawn in. Fans were absolutely devastated when Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes disappeared from the original series in the ninth season, and they wanted to see him return. If you recall from the fifth episode of the ninth season of The Walking Dead, Rick heroically led a horde of walkers onto a bridge in a near-suicidal attempt to save his friends and the communities he had fought so hard to protect.
Everyone watching believed Rick had perished in the resulting explosion, but in a shocking twist, he survived and was rescued by a helicopter operated by the enigmatic Civic Republic Military. While we would see Rick again in the series finale, it would only be for a brief moment. We would see him trying to escape from the Civic Republic, though his attempt is unsuccessful.
This unresolved tension left fans clamoring for answers, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live finally delivered. The spinoff picked up Rick’s story where the finale left off, showing his survival, the challenges he faced in the Civic Republic, and Michonne’s relentless quest to reunite with him.
For those who had watched Rick and Michonne’s journey from the very beginning, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live offered the long-awaited answers and the emotional payoff fans had been craving. It wasn’t just about seeing Rick alive again. It was about witnessing his struggles, the people he would meet along the way, and the lengths Michonne would go to in order to find him.
While this beloved zombie series consisted of only six episodes, the story never felt rushed. Every episode left you eager for more, and once you got to the series finale, you were treated to a climactic conclusion.
Ever since the last episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live aired in March 2024, fans have been hoping to see Lincoln and Danai Gurira reprise their respective roles again as Rick and Michonne in a new spinoff or something of that sort.
Lincoln mentioned in a previous interview back in September 2025 that a "conversation" was happening about his potential return to the franchise. Gurira, on the other hand, hasn't said anything about returning. There's also been a rumor of a potential Walking Dead crossover spinoff series. But again, that's just a rumor.
Still, we're keeping our fingers crossed that one day we'll get to see Rick and Michonne back together again on screen. But for now, we'll just have to celebrate this big milestone for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is available to stream on AMC+.