The Walking Dead is ending, but it’s far from over: Here’s why

The Walking Dead is dead…or is it? AMC is ending its flagship drama, but a wave of spinoffs provides lots of opportunities for new, exciting stories.

The Walking Dead is dead… or is it? At first glance, you might be worried seeing the news that AMC has decided to finally pull the plug on their beloved zombie show after an entire decade on air, with the final episode coming at the end of an extended 24-episode season 11. But despite worries that it’s all over, we seem to be entering a new era of the franchise, when it spreads its content over multiple shows rather than puts all its eggs in one basket.

As strange as it sounds, we’re probably going to see much more Walking Dead action after the flagship series ends. Fear The Walking Dead, the original spinoff, is about to enter its sixth season. Up next we have The Walking Dead: World Beyond, a two-season limited series that follows a group of teenagers who grew up in the world ruled by the dead. And let’s not forget that AMC is developing several movies about Rick Grimes, with Andrew Lincoln set to reprise his iconic role.

With the news of the main show ending, AMC softened the blow by announcing two new series: a spinoff following Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) and a more episodic series called Tales of The Walking Dead.

The Daryl/Carol team-up series pretty much confirms the two fan-favorite characters survive right until the end of The Walking Dead. Of course, there’s always the possibility it could be a prequel miniseries, but it doesn’t seem likely.

As for Tales of The Walking Dead, we don’t have much to go on. It’s being developed by AMC chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, who worked on The Walking Dead as showrunner for several seasons. It will tell individual, self-contained stories featuring both old and new characters. Gimple calls it “an episodic anthology with individual episodes or arcs of episodes focused on new or existing characters, backstories or other stand-alone experiences.”

I really like this concept. It presents a unique opportunity to explore interesting characters who were never given enough screen time. Personally, if we’re going to look at older characters, I’d love to see an episode focus on Heath (Corey Hawkins) who disappeared in season 7. I would also like to see an episode set in the Grady Memorial Hospital, where Beth was taken after being captured by police officers in season 5.

If the writers are looking for more source material for the Tales, they have some spinoff comics to play around with. For example, The Alien by acclaimed comic writer Brian K. Vaughan (SAGA, Y: The Last Man) could be a great one to adapt. The Alien is a short 32-page comic that focuses on Rick’s brother Jeffrey Grimes as he deals with the zombie outbreak in Spain. It’s a terrific well-rounded short story that seems tailor-made to be adapted into a one-shot episode.

And I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of more spinoff shows to come. I’m surprised they aren’t pursuing a series focused on Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), another character who already has two great spinoff comics by Robert Kirkman. Here’s Negan is an origin story for the character, while Negan Lives is a short continuation of his story. Plus, everybody loves Jeffrey Dean Morgan; they’d be fools not to involve him in something else.

The team behind the franchise have weighed in on the flagship series coming to a close, including Angela Kang, who has been showrunner since season 9. “I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years,” she said.

"The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol. Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I’m thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together."

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride also weighed in on getting their own series. “I feel incredibly honored to be a part of The Walking Dead,” Reedus said. “This show changed my life and career and everyone involved has truly been a family for me over the last decade. I’m thankful for AMC’s love and support and know there’s so much more story to tell and so much more to bring the best fans in the world. Daryl’s relationship with Carol has always been my favorite relationship on the show (sorry Rick). I love the way these characters interact and relate to each other on so many levels and can’t wait to see where their ride goes from here.”

Melissa McBride shared similar sentiments:

"Of course, I’ve always enjoyed working so closely with Norman throughout these many seasons. In playing Carol, and as a viewer of the show, I’ve also long been intrigued with ‘Daryl and Carol,’ and by what so early on between them, even then, felt somehow bound. Their shared history is long, and each’s own personal fight to survive, even longer — the more obvious aspect of what has kept them close and loyal. But there is also a rather mysterious aspect to their fondness for one another that I enjoy, and their playfulness when the world permits. I’m very curious! Angela has a way of shaking things up in great and unexpected ways. She’s like a kid playing with the dimmer switch! I’m very excited!"

These characters have had some terrific story arcs. Carol began the series in an abusive relationship, only to turn into a ferocious killer and a caring mother. Meanwhile, Daryl has gone from being an angry dude with a crossbow to a true leader…with his crossbow. In season 10, their relationship grew to the point where they talked about running off together. The signs were always there!

Overall, I’ve got mixed feelings about the show coming to an end. I think it’s run its course, especially with the show rapidly approaching the endpoint of the comics. For it to go beyond the comics, they would be in completely new territory. A set of spinoff shows allows more freedom, new characters, and new settings. Most of all, it keeps the franchise fresh. This allows The Walking Dead to stay as faithful as possible to Robert Kirkman’s series while satisfying the needs of fans who want more.

Now that we know season 11 will be the final season, it puts more pressure on the upcoming season 10 finale, coming on October 4. And there was already a lot of pressure, what with Norman Reedus compared its final battle to Game of Thrones!

Right after the season 10 finale, you can catch the premiere of World Beyond, the first in a plethora of spinoffs to come!

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