The Walking Dead stands as one of the most remarkable and influential shows in television history, regardless of how things played out in the latter half of the series. From its very first chilling moments, we quickly learn that this show isn't just about zombies. It's about humanity at its most vulnerable and resilient, about survival in a world stripped of rules, morality, and safety.
Truthfully, The Walking Dead made it easy for viewers to want to be invested. Every character and every storyline pulled us deeper into the world, making us care about who would survive, who would fall, and what choices they would make when pushed to the edge. Due to all the success this series achieved, it was only natural that the franchise would expand. The franchise would eventually give birth to multiple spinoffs intended to explore new corners of its grim and fascinating universe.
But here's the thing, and I'm sure many fans would agree. Not every Walking Dead spinoff has lived up to the legacy of the original. That's just a fact, and I'm not here to sugarcoat it. While some spinoffs have expanded the universe in compelling ways, there's one I can think of right now that missed the mark completely. Honestly, I'd even go so far as to say it should've never been made. I know that sounds harsh, but you'll understand where I'm coming from once you find out what series I'm talking about.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond had potential, but it quickly turned into a forgettable spinoff
Honestly, I was really looking forward to watching The Walking Dead: World Beyond. I thought it might give me new characters to root for and new stories to get invested in. But as soon as I started watching, it hit me. This wasn’t The Walking Dead I knew and loved. The tension that had kept me on the edge of my seat in the original series was missing. Instead of being a gritty, post-apocalyptic horror series, World Beyond felt more like a teen drama masquerading as a zombie show. I can't be the only person thinking this series belonged on The CW rather than AMC.
The characters just never felt real either. I found myself struggling to care about their survival in the same way I had spent seasons rooting for Rick, Daryl, Carol, Glenn, and others. They simply lacked the depth, the pain, and the raw humanity that made the original ensemble so unforgettable. In The Walking Dead, you could feel every ounce of trauma, loss, and desperation radiating from the characters. But in World Beyond, the characters felt more like sketches of people than real survivors.
If I’m being honest, some of the characters weren’t that interesting to begin with. They felt one-dimensional, almost like they were designed to fit into neat little archetypes rather than exist as complex, flawed people trying to make it through hell on earth. In a world as ruthless as The Walking Dead’s, you expect the characters to be raw, messy, scarred, and complicated. But instead, it felt like watching teenagers on a field trip through the apocalypse rather than survivors fighting tooth and nail to stay alive. That said, how was I supposed to feel any real connection to their journey?
The poor acting, slow pacing, and cringeworthy writing didn't help either. The performances of the young cast felt too stiff, unnatural, and unconvincing. The pacing also dragged at times, turning scenes that should have been tense and gripping into dull stretches where nothing truly felt at stake. And when it came to the writing, there were many times when I thought to myself, “Did they even try?”
Overall, it's really unfortunate that a franchise with such a rich and emotionally charged universe ended up with a spinoff that felt so hollow. World Beyond's purpose was to explore the aftermath of the apocalypse from a fresh perspective. The plot revolved around a new generation of survivors navigating a world they had only ever known as dangerous and unpredictable. On paper, this was an exciting premise. But in execution, it fell completely flat.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond is available to stream on AMC+.