The Walking Dead franchise has been a staple of our TV screens for almost two decades. The legendary AMC saga first began on the cable channel itself back in 2010 and now, even four years after the original series has concluded, the tales of the TWD Universe continue to grip fans year after year after year. And the good news is that it sounds like that is set to continue for the foreseeable future.
See, there have been concerns about the immediate future of the franchise due to the impending conclusion of one of the only two spinoffs currently on the air and the uncertainty regarding the other one. But it sounds like fans needn’t be worried after all, as the AMC boss has some very encouraging words for them.
AMC president confirms more Walking Dead shows are coming
The Walking Dead will not die. At least that’s according to what AMC’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, has to say. In a recent interview with The Ankler, he confirmed that the cable channel has no plans to move on from the TWD Universe franchise anytime soon, going as far as to confirm that there are more spinoff shows planned beyond what is currently on the slate: “We will always have Walking Dead shows on our platforms…”
Needless to say that this will be music to the ears of TWD fans as there has been concern about the franchise’s future as it looks poised to potentially break a 17-year-long streak next year. With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon ending after its fourth and final season this year, that takes the TWD Universe down to just one ongoing show in The Walking Dead: Dead City, but with that show already returning for its third season this summer, it’s unclear if it will serve as its final chapter. If that happens, then the TWD Universe as we know it would have been over, as 2027would be the first year since a Walking Dead show wouldn’t have been on the air since 2010.
It all started with The Walking Dead in 2010, which spawned original spinoff Fear The Walking Dead five years after its debut. Both shows had incredibly long runs, with the original wrapping in 2022 and the offshoot concluding in 2023. There were two more, shorter spinoffs during this time too, with Tales of the Walking Dead offering up just one season and World Beyond being just a two-season miniseries.
After the original show’s conclusion, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and Rick Grimes and Michonne-led spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live were designed to continue the story by using beloved characters from the franchise. With that era seemingly coming to a close, it’s unclear what is next for the TWD Universe. And yet, fans can breathe easier knowing that AMC has plans to continue that long overarching story – regardless of which characters get spotlighted.
In fact, McDermott actually took his revelation one step further, confirming that they are currently in “active discussions” with Norman Reedus to return in the near-future as Daryl Dixon – despite the fact that the Daryl Dixon series is coming to an end. This lines up with comments that were made at San Diego Comic-Con last year, when it was revealed that Daryl Dixon would end with season 4, with the-powers-that-be confirming that – even though the show would end – it wouldn’t necessarily mean the end for Daryl and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride).
AMC’s Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, Scott M. Gimple, had previously revealed that there had been discussions about doing more international TWD spinoffs down the line. Daryl Dixon was set in France for its first two seasons before temporarily relocating the characters to London, and then finally Spain for seasons 3 and 4. Another offshoot could well bring back another round of beloved characters from The Walking Dead and take them to a different country if they ultimately decide to go that route (Aaron and Gabriel spinoff in Ireland, anyone?).
And, of course, there are those long-standing rumors of a highly-anticipated reunion series that would cross the three newer spinoffs over with each other and bring the main characters of the original Walking Dead series back together. Gimple recently confirmed that he still has hopes of making that happen someday in the future.
Right now, the obvious solution to this potential TWD drought would be to renew Dead City for a fourth season and bring Maggie and Negan back to screens next year, bridging the gap between this TWD Universe era and the next one. But, honestly, regardless of whether the 17-year streak comes to an end next year on AMC or not, we can all take comfort in the fact that the TWD Universe’s days on that cable network are far from over.
Yes, even after all this time: The Walking Dead lives!
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