Such was the popularity of AMCs screaming success The Walking Dead, that the show, its plot, characters and references have become ubiquitous. However, the ebb and flow of life means that all successful TV series – even the highest rated ones – must come to an end and today AMC has confirmed The Walking Dead will officially wrap up in 2022.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Not unlike the rising dead on which the show’s premise is set, AMC have announced there will be a spin-off which will follow pretty much the two biggest reasons people are still enjoying the show, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride).
The spin-off was created by TWD showrunner Angela Kang alongside Deadverse chief content officer Scott M. Gimple. So far, mum’s the word on the series but we do know it’s slated for a 2023 kick off.
“It’s been ten years ‘gone by;’ what lies ahead are two more to come and stories and stories to tell beyond that,” says Gimple.
“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,” Kang added.
The Deadverse expansion doesn’t end there. As well as Fear The Walking Dead, now in it’s 6th Season, and the upcoming debut of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, AMC is also developing another series, Tales of The Walking Dead. So it’s safe to say that even with the departure of the flagship series, fans will be able to get their fix.
The original series will not be giving up without a fight. After season 10 was put off course by COVID-19, Season 11 will be nothing short of an unstoppable monster at 24 episodes in length. Additional episodes of Season 10 will trickle into 2021, leaving two whole years for Season 11 to stretch its legs out.
This feels like a proper viking burial for the beloved series which, since its 2010 debut, has experienced the dizzying heights of being a highest rated TV show, and the crushing lows of main character departures, controversial plot points and perhaps the biggest blow, Robert Kirkman, who created the comic book series behind the TV show, bringing the story to a conclusion in 2019 after 193 issues, leaving showrunners without the original source material.
So, naturally, as fans we won’t cry because it’s over, we’ll smile because finally it’s been put out of its misery.
Season 10 will continue on October 4.
