The Walking Dead series had an excellent run during its 11 seasons on AMC. The long-running apocalyptic series focused on the lives of survivors, drawing viewers in as they connected with the characters on a deeper level.
The series aired its final episode in November 2022, and since then, three direct spinoffs have been created, continuing the stories of fan-favorite characters, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and the one-season limited series The Ones Who Live. While viewers have enjoyed the ongoing stories set in other parts of the world, they long for a mega reunion of the key characters, many of whom have been apart for years.
The main reason TWD creators would even consider a crossover episode or series with all of the main characters reuniting would be to appease the masses. While that is something to consider, is it the best route for the franchise?
Why The Walking Dead crossover makes sense
Which Walking Dead fan wouldn't love to see Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Carol, and the others reunite? This is something that fans have hoped for, especially after seeing the Carol/Daryl and Rick/Michonne reunions. These characters have been part of our world for over 15 years, and seeing them come together would be a welcome sight.
A crossover event featuring the main cast as well as many of the other characters would be quite a success for AMC. The Walking Dead is a series that has paved the way for many others within the genre, and it has influenced pop culture in numerous ways. An event like this would not only see die-hard fans tuning in, but it would also pique the interest of former fans who stopped watching early on.
Why The Walking Dead crossover is a bad idea
We shared four reasons why The Walking Dead crossover wouldn't work out all that well.
There are too many stories and too many characters to make fans happy
Most fans wishing for a crossover event long for the early days of the series when cast numbers were small and the series could focus on individual stories. Those days are long gone, and no matter who is involved in the creation, it will never give fans the same feeling of seeing Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes for the first time.
The timelines don't exactly match up well
With the timelines of the spinoffs all over the place, it would be difficult to do the main series justice in a crossover event. TWDU has always taken liberties with cut-off storylines, characters becoming MIA, and the confusing timelines. To make a crossover event a success, these things would need to be addressed; however, since some of them occurred so long ago, it is doubtful that they could be accomplished.
One crossover episode would not cut it
If AMC decided to do a crossover event, fans wouldn't be satisfied with one episode; this would result in a new TWD series that could never live up to the original. Instead, it would make more sense to feature standalone reunions between characters, such as Rick and Daryl.
The spinoff stories are more than good enough
The direct spinoffs have been an excellent way to feature more TWD content with stories focused on two original main characters. The pairings of Rick/Michonne, Negan/Maggie, and Daryl/Carol are by far a better way to continue the franchise in new locations, with additional new characters.
Of course, this is just one writer's opinion. There are many moving parts and stories already in the works.
Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead universe, Scott M. Gimple, has long teased fans regarding a reunion. In a 2024 interview with Variety, Gimple had this to say: “I absolutely have been working towards that and hoping towards that, but we’ll see what happens. It might be a version of it that no one expects.”
Will it happen? We'll just have to wait and find out!