In the grand scheme of television history, few TV shows have gripped people in the way that The Walking Dead did. From the same era as the likes of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, it thrilled audiences throughout its heyday and broke them at the same time, providing emotionally powerful and all-around thrilling episodes on a weekly basis. The series also managed to outlast those aforementioned shows, running for an incredible 11 seasons.
But in November 2022, after 11 seasons and 177 episodes, AMC's The Walking Dead bowed out with a game-changing finale that brought the series to a close while also setting the stage for the future of the TWD Universe - a future that would entail a number of spinoffs primarily featuring some of the show's greatest characters.
The end of The Walking Dead didn't mean the end of the lucrative franchise as three new spinoffs have indeed continued on that story. But why did AMC feel the need to conclude the show in its shock 2020 announcement? Let's dive in and discuss.
It was simply time to evolve the Walking Dead franchise
11 seasons is a long time for any show to be on the air so, in that sense, it isn't too surprising that The Walking Dead concluded when it did. The only thing truly shocking about it was the announcement that it would be ending as it simply felt like the show would go on forever (and that announcement leaked a little earlier than expected). But there was no behind-the-scenes drama and ratings likely weren't factored into the decision either (as it was still holding its own in the streaming era). It was just time to evolve the franchise before The Walking Dead lost sight of what it started out as - something that many shows with lengthy runs often do.
The decision to end the series opened more doors for the franchise, because the conclusion of the original show allowed AMC and all involved to focus primarily on the spinoffs that were in the works. This is something that Scott Gimple, Chief Content Officer of the TWD Universe, confirmed in a statement when the announcement was made, saying:
"We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on TWD, and then, this end will be a beginning of more Walking Dead —brand-new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies. This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. The Walking Dead lives."
This new chapter for the franchise came in the form of the new spinoffs era. While the TWD Universe wasn't afraid to launch a spinoff or two in the past, these new ones would be focused specifically on characters from the original show, acting as high-budget sequels designed to showcase their lives after the end of the show that brought them together.
With that, we got The Walking Dead: Dead City, which was led by Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who reprised their roles as Maggie Rhee and Negan) as their characters ventured into New York City in search of Maggie's son Hershel. After that came The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which featured Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride back as post-apocalyptic besties Daryl and Carol Peletier as they made their way to Europe, finding new threats and friends in France, London, and Spain. And, finally, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live brought back Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as Rick and Michonne, as the six-part miniseries wrapped up their love story forever.
The TWD Universe is telling bigger and better stories than a typical twelfth season could have
As awesome as it would have been to still have The Walking Dead on the air by the time that its 15th anniversary came around, the decision to end the show after 11 seasons and pivot to spinoff sequels was the right decision indeed. Granted, it means that so many of the show's beloved characters are separated (and some more of them aren't currently on-screen due to not being involved in the spinoffs) but it does create - and has created - plenty of larger-than-life storytelling opportunities for the franchise as a whole. And that's incredibly important if it wants to remain on the air for as long as possible.
While the original series was accused of being stale or purposeless after the departure of Rick Grimes in season 9 (and the show was experiencing the natural ratings decline you would expect with age), the debut of the new spinoffs came with more aura than the franchise had seen in years.
The Mad Max-esque approach of Dead City really provided the TWD Universe with some of its most interesting visuals in years. The almost Last of Us-like debut trailer for Daryl Dixon was nothing short of awe-inspiring. And the cinematic feel of The Ones Who Live was both movie-like and reminiscent of the earlier seasons of the show - allowing TWD to complete one of its longest-running arcs in a way that brought it back to that mature, gripping tone of the beginning years.
The sheer scale in visuals is something to admire as well. Dead City actually films in New York and Boston to create the post-apocalyptic Manhattan setting, while Daryl Dixon actually filmed on location in France and Spain, offering up what is probably the TWD Universe's best cinematography of all time. And The Ones Who Live increased the scale of familiar environments to ensure that its post-apocalyptic landscape never looked so thrilling.
The Walking Dead season 12 simply wouldn't have been able to accompish any of this. With the show's reduced budget, large cast, familiar sets, and committed 16 - 20 episode count, it would have likely been more of the same admittedly successful (but safe) formula for more years to come. The spinoff era restored the visual elements that the TWD Universe had been missing out on for some time, all while presenting its characters with some of their most gripping, interesting, and impactful storylines in years.
Four seasons of Daryl Dixon, three seasons of Dead City, and the one season of The Ones Who Live later, it's very clear that Scott Gimple's words were correct: There is still a lot of life in The Walking Dead.
A TWD crossover spinoff is reportedly in the works
Although The Walking Dead season 12 isn't officially happening, TWD fans might be about to get the sequel series that would effectively function as a twelfth chapter in the overall ensemble TWD story. According to well-established industry insider Daniel Richtman, a Walking Dead crossover spinoff is in the works - one that would bring all of the beloved characters in the spinoffs back together.
If this were the case, it would mean that Dead City's Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Daryl Dixon's Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, and The Ones Who Live's Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira would finally share the screen together for the first time in years as Maggie and Negan, Daryl and Carol, and Rick and Michonne would all finally reunite. Heck, it might mean that other supporting characters we haven't seen since the end of the main series could come back too.
There is scope for this to happen. The Ones Who Live ended with Rick and Michonne returning to Alexandria after years away, reuniting with their children Judith and RJ. At this point in time, we know that Daryl and Carol are on their European escapades, so they aren't behind that wall waiting on them. This is one of the scenes that fans have been longing to see for some time now, particularly as Daryl and Rick were like brothers. It's imperative that we actually see this scene play out on our screens.
Andrew Lincoln did recently reveal that he was having conversations about returning to the role of Rick Grimes again, so it's quite possible that the story is in place and AMC is just waiting for Daryl Dixon and Dead City to complete their runs before making it official.
Either way, fans have been very clear about one thing: The story of the Walking Dead Universe must not end until all of the beloved characters reunite on our screens so that they can get the "happily ever after" that the original show couldn't provide viewers with (due to its commitment to setting up spinoff sequels instead).
But, even if that does happen, it sounds like the TWD Universe will still live on beyond that.
The Walking Dead Universe may continue for another 15 years
Just as AMC celebrated the 15th anniversary of the original airing of the pilot episode of The Walking Dead - which, of course, marked the beginning of the legendary franchise's story - the-powers-that-be made it clear that there are still more stories to be told in this classic saga.
In an interview with SFX Magazine, Scott Gimple was asked about the potential of the TWD Universe continuing on for another 15 years, potentially reaching 2040 and, well, he sees the vision.
"I do see that potential...The Walking Dead is about compelling characters in an unforgiving world, but one that is not without hope".
That's a huge commitment and even though there is no confirmation that it will happen, it any franchise is capable of pulling it off, it's this one! And hey, if you're worried about the end of the current spinoffs meaning the end of the franchise, Gimple isn't the only one sharing hopeful advice about the franchise's future.
AMC Networks President Dan McDermott also implied that the franchise could still be going in 15 years from now, even suggesting that the likes of Daryl and Carol could still be on our screens then too.
"It’s quite possible we could see this group up here 15 years from now. There are many more continents to visit. It’s about how [the characters] evolve over time. It’s really exciting to see how far we can take this."
Although there haven't been any official confirmations as to what the next chapter of the TWD Universe might look like, there have been plenty of rumblings. Gimple has hinted at more international-set shows - perhaps some featuring familiar TWD characters and others featuring new leads - while there have been rumors of that crossover finale, a potential Aaron and Gabriel spinoff, and that long-awaited/potentially cancelled More Tales From The Walking Dead Universe short-form series.
Sometimes the dead won't die, and the Walking Dead franchise continues to prove that in oh-so-many ways.