It seems even zombies can’t wander aimlessly forever.
On Wednesday, AMC announced “The Walking Dead” is coming to an end. The show, which premiered in 2010, will go out with an expanded two-year 11th season that will span 24 episodes. Including the previously announced six additional episodes coming in Season 10, that means 30 episodes of “The Walking Dead” remain through 2022.
But like the undead in the show, the series will still sort of live on.
In addition to “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” there will also be a Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) spinoff, which will premiere in 2023 and be helmed by “Walking Dead” showrunner Angela Kang. AMC also announced a “Tales of The Walking Dead” series, “an episodic anthology with individual episodes or arcs of episodes focused on new or existing characters,” according to a press release. Other projects are in the works as well.
“It’s been ten years ‘gone bye;’ what lies ahead are two more to come and stories and stories to tell beyond that,” Scott Gimple, chief content officer of “The Walking Dead” Universe, said in the press release. “What’s clear is that this show has been about the living, made by a passionate cast, team of writer/producers, producers, and crew, bringing to life the vision put forth by Robert Kirkman in his brilliant comic — and supported by the best fans in the world. We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on ‘TWD,’ and then, this end will be a beginning of more ′Walking Dead’ ― brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies. This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. ‘The Walking Dead’ lives.”
“The Walking Dead” ratings declines have made headlines for years, and the show has recently been bleeding its major stars, with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) exiting in Season 9 and Michonne (Danai Gurira) following in Season 10. However, the series has received rave reviews since Kang took over as showrunner in Season 9.
Reedus also spoke about the show ending, according to AMC, saying he felt “incredibly honored” to be part of “The Walking Dead” and expressing how the show changed his life and career.
“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),” Reedus said. “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.”