Every single project in The Walking Dead Universe is headed to Netflix in a licensing deal worth in excess of $500 million, accounting for over 350 individual episodes. Here’s your complete guide to every spinoff in the series.
Netflix has dipped in and out of the zombie business over the years with varied success. The streamer has had its disappointing entries, such as Resident Evil (2022). But then, there have been acclaimed hits like Black Summer, Kingdom, and perhaps most of all, Korean drama All of Us Are Dead. Outside of Netflix’s original offerings, they have also picked up plenty of zombie titles; in fact, only recently, Netflix licensed zombie series Revival from Syfy. Beyond that, some of the most acclaimed zombie franchises out there are Netflix — most significantly, The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead Universe has a storied history on Netflix. Over the years, it has proven to be one of the streamer’s most enduring licensed titles from AMC. The franchise, based on the comics of the same name by Robert Kirkman, is a behemoth of television, and was the biggest show on cable for several years running. Across the main show and all of its spinoffs, there are over 350 individual episodes, and the franchise is showing little signs of ending. This summer, Netflix and AMC struck a gigantic $500 million global agreement, seeing the original series and its major spin-offs streaming on Netflix through 2032. That includes expansion to major territories, such as UK, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. All of that is to say, Netflix is the one-stop home for the future of The Walking Dead.
Whether you’re new to The Walking Dead or you’re an old fan looking to re-kindle your interest in the franchise, choosing an avenue to watch it can be hard. Of course, the main series is the obvious (and best) starting point. But beyond that, the spinoffs weave in and out of each other, and sometimes only make sense if you’ve seen adjacent episodes, and so on. Down below, we’ve compiled our complete guide to every spinoff coming to Netflix. Plus, the franchise overseer Scott Gimple has offered a deeper insight into what’s in store for the future of The Walking Dead. Let’s take a tour.
The Walking Dead
Seasons 1 (2010) – 11 (2022)
Core cast: Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), Danai Gurira (Michonne), Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon), Steven Yeun (Glenn Rhee), Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier), Lauren Cohan (Maggie Rhee), Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan)
The Walking Dead is the mother show of the franchise and the glue that ties all of the spinoffs together. The series begins with Rick Grimes (Lincoln) waking up in a hospital in Atlanta. Alone and wounded, he soon realises that the hospital is empty and abandoned, but for the undead that lurk in its halls. Bewildered, Rick is determined to find his wife and son, lost out in the zombie-ridden world.
While The Walking Dead begins with Rick Grimes, it grows into a sprawling epic (with an ensemble cast of survivors that we couldn’t possibly list all of them). We follow our tight-knit group of survivors who soon realise that the biggest threat is not the dead, but the living.
The Walking Dead ended its 11-season run in 2022 after airing 177 episodes, making it the longest-running zombie series of all-time. It covered the entirety of Robert Kirkman’s comics, while also re-working elements and carving out a myriad of original story. There were spinoffs that aired alongside its run and sequel spinoffs continuing the stories of fan-favorite characters.
Fear The Walking Dead
Seasons 1 (2015) – 8 (2023)
Core cast: Frank Dillane (Nick Clark), Alycia Debnam-Carey (Alicia Clark), Kim Dickens (Madison Clark), Cliff Curtis (Travis Manawa), Lennie James (Morgan Jones)
Fear The Walking Dead begins by chronicling the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse in Los Angeles. It’s the first time in the franchise that we actually see the outbreak play out; the main show glossed over it with Rick waking up in the hospital 4-5 weeks after the outbreak. We follow a new, dysfunctional family. As the show grows, it gathers an ensemble cast almost as large as The Walking Dead itself.
Perhaps even more so than The Walking Dead, this spinoff continually re-invents itself. It begins in Los Angeles, moving to Mexico for its second and third seasons. It then returns to the United States, taking place in Texas and Georgia. In its fourth season, Fear The Walking Dead introduces its first crossover by bringing in Morgan Jones (Lennie James), who takes the lead. Other notable crossovers include Dwight (Austin Amelio) and Sherry (Christine Evangelista). Rick Grimes also makes a very brief cameo appearance.
Can it be watched as a standalone series? Fans who have not seen The Walking Dead will be able to enjoy the majority of Fear The Walking Dead as the spinoff forges out its own path. However, after the first three seasons, coinciding with the arrival of Morgan, newcomers may struggle to understand certain character motivations.
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Seasons 1 (2023) – Present
Core cast: Lauren Cohan (Maggie), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan), Logan Kim (Hershel)
The Walking Dead: Dead City was the first sequel spinoff to air. It’s was a rather bizarre and ambitious move for the franchise, seeing unlikely duo Maggie and Negan head out of the samey Georgian forests that the franchise was known for, and into the heart of Manhattan — where zombies roam free but some survivors still dwell. In Season 1, Maggie seeks out the assistance of old nemesis Negan to join her on a specific mission to rescue her kidnapped son, who was taken deep into Manhattan.
Despite a relatively slow start, Dead City managed to carve out its own unique identity. Think of it as Escape From New York (1981) with zombies. The show’s third season serves as a soft reboot for the series, receiving the best ratings to date and currently standing at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
Can it be watched as a standalone series? Fans who have not seen the original series will struggle to understand the emotional weight between Maggie and Negan. While the spinoff excites in a new setting and features a largely new set of characters, it heavily relies on fans having seen The Walking Dead Seasons 6-11 to fully understand the larger emotional arc.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
Seasons 1 (2023) – 3 (2025) [Season 4, the final season, coming in 2027]
Core cast: Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon), Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier), Clémence Poésy (Isabelle Carriere), Louis Puech Scigliuzzi (Laurent Carriere), Romain Levi (Stéphane Codron)
Norman Reedus’ fan-favourite, crossbow-wielding survivor Daryl Dixon doesn’t exist in The Walking Dead comics by Robert Kirkman. The character is completely original to the TV Universe, and he’s in with a shout of being the most popular character of them all. After eleven seasons of the main show, Daryl’s journey continued in his own spinoff in 2023, which saw him wash up in France. He teams up with a community outside of Paris — becoming close Isabelle Carriere and her nephew Laurent, whom her community believes is the messiah destined to lead humanity out of the apocalypse.
As the spinoff goes on, Daryl is later joined by his long-time companion Carol. Together, they travel to London (where actor Stephen Merchant makes a cameo), before spending the majority of the third season in Spain. Daryl Dixon will wrap up with its fourth and final season in 2027 — although rumours suggest that it won’t be the last we ever see of Daryl Dixon.
Can it be watched as a standalone series? Fans can quite easily get away with watching Daryl Dixon as a standalone. The series lends itself to being a jumping-on point, beginning with Daryl washing up on French shores and embarking on entirely new adventures unconnected to his previous story. However, when Carol arrives in Season 2, it is recommended that newcomers at least read up on Daryl’s past with her, which dates all the way back to The Walking Dead Season 1.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond
Seasons 1 (2020) – 2 (2021)
Core cast: Alexa Mansour (Hope Bennett), Aliyah Royale (Iris Bennett), Hal Cumpston (Silas), Nicolas Cantu (Elton), Nico Tortorella (Felix Carlucci)
Two-season limited series World Beyond exists in a weird part of the franchise’s timeline. Both seasons take place concurrently with most of The Walking Dead Seasons 9 and 10, covering a corner of the overarching story that, at the time, was a kept mystery. It takes place inside the Civic Republic: a massive, highly secret civilisation in Philadelphia. The Civic Republic is highly insular; once people are inside, they cannot leave. With this spinoff taking place over a decade into the apocalypse, it follows the next-generation of teenagers who grew up in a world ruled by the dead.
World Beyond is a deep dive into a community that was only mentioned sparingly in the main show. But above all, it’s a coming-of age story about a group of rebellious teenagers trying to learn more about the world that exists outside of the Civic Republic bubble — and embark on a mission to save a missing father. In the coming-of-age sense, it shares similarities to Netflix favourites like Stranger Things and classics like The Goonies.
The series shares one major Walking Dead crossover, with Pollyanna McIntosh reprising her role as Jadis/Anne.
Can it be watched as a standalone series? Yes, while World Beyond exists to provide more clarity about the Civic Republic and the enormous operation surrounding it, the narrative can completely be understood as a standalone.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
One season (2024)
Core cast: Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), Danai Gurira (Michonne), Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis/Anne), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Pearl Thorne), Terry O’Quinn (Major General Johnathan Beale)
Back before The Ones Who Live, AMC planned to play out the story in a proposed trilogy of movies. There was even an official movie teaser released back in 2019. However, that foray ultimately collapsed, and the story was re-worked into a 6-episode limited series called The Ones Who Live, which aired back in 2024.
The Ones Who Live serves as a culmination to the stories of Rick Grimes and Michonne. In The Walking Dead Season 9, Rick was on a bridge when it exploded, and his body was never recovered. He was presumed dead. However, he was found struggling for life, and carried via helicopter to the Civic Republic. Years later, his love interest Michonne learns that he may be alive, and embarks on a journey to find him. But once a person is inducted into the Civic Republic, they are forbidden to leave…
Can it be watched as a standalone series? No. This series is a direct continuation of a storyline from the main show, and serves as a culmination of the story of two of the franchise’s longest-serving characters. If there’s one spinoff that’s difficult to grasp emotionally as a standalone, it’s this one.
Tales of The Walking Dead
One season (2022)
Core cast: Samantha Morton (Dee), Terry Crews (Joe), Olivia Munn (Evie), Daniella Pineda (Idaila), Polly Liu (Amy)
A 6-part anthology series, Tales of The Walking Dead chronicles six stories from all stages of the apocalypse. These are all self-contained, one-shot takes focusing on new and established characters. And while there are established characters involved, such as Samantha Morton’s Dee, the stories always remain easy to follow.
Tales of The Walking Dead has a bit of everything, from a road-trip story, to an origin for a classic Walking Dead villain, to a totally bizarre, reality-twisting buddy-action heist.
Can it be watched as a standalone series? Yes. If you simply want short tales from the Walking Dead apocalypse, these episodes will fulfil all your zombie needs. For long-time fans, the some of the stories might mean more in terms of character development and world-building, but they never ostracise new viewers.
What’s in store for the future of The Walking Dead Universe?
The Walking Dead Seasons Netflix
For a few years now there’s been a feeling around The Walking Dead that the franchise is headed on a downward spiral. And there is a valid question in that: should a zombie series really go on as long as this? According to AMC’s Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple, the answer is a resounding yes. “There’s definitely going to be more series, both shorter things and ongoing things,” he said in a recent interview with The Direct.
Up to now, there’s nothing officially planned for The Walking Dead Universe beyond the conclusion of Daryl Dixon in 2027. There’s talk of converging all of the spinoffs, essentially bringing back The Walking Dead for Season 12. There was even a time when a comedy spinoff was discussed. As for what the future holds, Gimple assures that the current mindset values quality over quantity. “The rollout will be slightly slower,” he added. “But more, definitely more. And there are cool things in the works. I had a lot of conversations, even this week, about that. But the urgency and the speed, like ‘Get it out, get it out, get it out.’ … It’s just a different time, but that time does allow us to get it right.”
Whatever it may be that The Walking Dead has in the works, there’s no doubt that Netflix wants a slice of it. The streamer is investing big in The Walking Dead.