AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (TWD) has had a long run on television as one of contemporary media’s well-loved zombie apocalypse shows. It is adapted from the comic book of the same title created by Robert Kirkman and has had a huge cult following both for the comic book and the TV show over the years.
In the 2010s, the show skyrocketed to be one of AMC’s most successful shows up to date. The show follows the zombie-ridden post-apocalyptic world that centers around Rick Grimes and his people as they battle out “walkers” (the universe’s version of zombies) and other external threats.
The “TWD” universe is far from over, contrary to the mother show’s conclusion last year. It had its fair share of spinoffs in the past but none centering around the main characters.
Now, it is slowly expanding its world and zeroing in on the main character’s fates succeeding the initial finale.
The “TWD” universe will explore more of its main protagonists’ backstories in a series of spinoffs slated to be released in the next two years.
Here are three of its most-anticipated spinoffs:
“Dead City”
Set to be released in April of this year, “Dead City” will follow the arc of Negan Smith and Maggie Rhee as they are thrusted into the catacombs of New York City, battling out a different breed of “walkers.” They set out to find Maggie’s son Hershel, who was kidnapped in the city crawling with deadly zombies.
Right off the bat, the premise of this spinoff is extremely intriguing given that the last we saw of Negan and Maggie in Season 11 of “TWD,” they were at a standstill.
Maggie and Negan were always at odds with each other — since, spoiler alert, Negan was previously an antagonist in the show and had killed off Maggie’s husband Glenn. In the series finale, Maggie told Negan she could never forgive him for what he’s done but is content to have a truce with him, seeing as he’d changed for good and has earned his keep in the group.
It will be truly interesting to see through what path these characters will take as they’re forced yet again to team up for a common goal while still harboring complex feelings toward each other.
“The Walking Dead: Summit”
This spinoff is a work in progress and is yet to have a release date confirmed but it is slated to be released in 2024. “The Walking Dead: Summit” will focus on Rick Grimes and Michonne Hawthorne’s unfinished love story.
When the actor who played Rick Grimes bowed out of the show in Season Nine, a lot of “TWD” fans were devastated. With this new spinoff, we get to see Rick reunite with Michonne, who has been searching for him for so long, in hopes to bring him back to their family. “TWD” fans are also anticipating finding out where Michonne wound up as she looked for Rick all these years.
“The Walking Dead: Summit” will hopefully also tackle the Civic Republic Military (CRM) plot point, vital in understanding how Rick survived the fallout of his presumed death in Season Nine.
“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon”
Perhaps one of the most loved characters in the series, Daryl Dixon has come a long way. His character wasn’t originally present in the comics and was meant to be killed off in the first season.
The spinoff will be set in Paris, France, where Daryl washes ashore mysteriously. The series will follow Daryl’s journey across the befallen landscape of Europe, post-apocalypse and his attempts to come back home.
There are also quite several speculations that point toward Daryl finding out more about the virus that caused the outbreak which started in a biomedical facility in France, as shown in another “TWD” spinoff titled, “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.”
The spinoff was renewed for a second season even before its premiere which just shows how well-received it already is. “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” will be released in the second half of 2023.
There is a lot of “The Walking Dead” world to be explored. With these spinoff series set to be released in the next two years, the “TWD” universe is slowly unfurling for more stories to tell in the future. It is truly far from over.