The Walking Dead is an American zombie apocalypse media franchise centered on a number of television series based on the comic book of the same name. Set in one fictional shared universe, the franchise has developed into seven live-action television series, eight web series that tie into the first two television series, novels, video games, and other media. The television series all air on AMC and AMC+. The Walking Dead comic book was initially adapted into The Walking Dead television series (2010–2022). It was followed by the spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2023), The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020–2021), and the anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead (2022). Following the conclusion of the original television series, three further spin-off series have been released featuring returning main characters: The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023–present), which focuses on Negan and Maggie; The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023–present), which focuses on Daryl and Carol; and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (2024), which focuses on Rick and Michonne. Another series, titled "More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe", is in development.
Development In January 2010, AMC ordered a pilot for The Walking Dead, based on the comic book of the same name and developed by Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd. Andrew Lincoln was cast as Rick Grimes. The show premiered on October 31, 2010. The Walking Dead became known as AMC's flagship series and as a ratings juggernaut. Beginning with its third season, The Walking Dead attracted the most 18-to 49-year-old viewers of any cable or broadcast television series. The series was positively received by critics. In September 2013, it was announced that Robert Kirkman, creator of the original comic book, Hurd, and Dave Alpert would create a companion spin-off television series featuring a new set of characters. The show was entitled Fear the Walking Dead. The series began as a prequel, but later shifted to run concurrently with the original series by adding Lennie James to the main cast of Fear the Walking Dead, reprising his role as Morgan Jones on The Walking Dead. James' appearance on Fear the Walking Dead was the first crossover within the franchise. The second crossover occurred when Austin Amelio reprised his role as the reformed Savior Dwight in the show's fifth season. In July 2018, Scott M. Gimple announced a second spin-off series at San Diego Comic-Con. The show was later given a 10-episode order and the working title Monument. It was later retitled The Walking Dead: World Beyond and ran for two seasons. The second season featured the franchise's third crossover, with Pollyanna McIntosh reprising her role as Jadis from The Walking Dead. In November 2018, Gimple announced that a trilogy of The Walking Dead films--revolving around the character of Rick, with Lincoln reprising his role--were in development by AMC Original Films. James expressed interest in joining the film, and McIntosh had teased her character Jadis as being in the film. In September 2020, Gimple announced that an anthology series was in the works. The series was greenlit in October 2021 and was entitled Tales of the Walking Dead. In 2022, multiple spinoffs were announced. One such spinoff was The Walking Dead: Dead City, a spinoff focusing on Maggie Greene and Negan that was originally entitled Isle of the Dead; Another was The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. This show was originally intended to be a spin-off about the titular character and Carol Peletier, but it shifted focus to Daryl due to logistical reasons involving Melissa McBride, who portrays Carol. Melissa McBride joined the series as a regular in its second season. Another spinoff announced in 2022 was The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which was originally intended to be a trilogy of films announced in 2019 but was reworked into a miniseries. The Ones Who Live was originally entitled Rick & Michonne. In a November 2022 interview with AMC, Gimple said that more spinoffs were still to come. The development of a series entitled More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe was announced in April 2023.
Television series
Seven television series make up The Walking Dead franchise: The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live. All series in total amount to 360 episodes across 29 seasons of television.
The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma in a post-apocalyptic world where the undead, known as walkers, have taken over. Rick must fight for his survival to protect his family and friends. While the walkers are their number one threat, other humans also create conflict. With the collapse of modern civilization, these survivors must confront other survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own laws and morals, sometimes leading to open, hostile conflict between them.
Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2023)
Fear the Walking Dead is a companion series to The Walking Dead, developed by AMC. AMC started development of the series around September 2013 and committed to a two-season broadcast by March 2015. Fear the Walking Dead first premiered on August 23, 2015. The series ended on November 19, 2023 after the conclusion of the eighth and final season. Fear the Walking Dead features a different set of characters, developed by Kirkman. The series starts at the onset of the zombie apocalypse and follows several people who escape Los Angeles as the military attempts to quarantine the city and seek refuge along the west coast of the United States and Mexico. The fourth season of Fear the Walking Dead features a crossover with The Walking Dead, specifically through the character Morgan Jones (played by Lennie James) who joins the cast of Fear the Walking Dead after the events of the eighth season of The Walking Dead. Similarly, Dwight, played by Austin Amelio, joined Fear the Walking Dead for its fifth season in 2019.
World Beyond (2020–2021)
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