In 2003, Image Comics published the first issue of a comic book series set during the zombie apocalypse, from writer Robert Kirkman and artists Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. It was an immediate hit, eventually winning the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Comic Series in 2010. That same year, AMC broughtThe Walking Deadto television screens, bringing the character-driven horror tale to life on cable TV, and reinvigorating the zombie genre.
Developed in its first season byOscar-nominated filmmaker Frank Darabont(The Shawshank Redemption), who assembled a talented ensemble cast,The Walking Deadcentered around the journey of Georgia sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who awakens from a coma to find a zombie apocalypse has brought about civilization’s downfall. Over 11 seasons and 177 episodes, the series told an epic tale of survival, scoring high ratings and winning acclaim from critics, as well as two Primetime Emmy Awards, and AMC worked quickly to expand the franchise.
Fear the Walking Deadpremiered in 2015, the first of more than half a dozen primetime spinoffs, taking the franchise in directionsbeyond Robert Kirkman’s original vision. We’ve ranked all the series inThe Walking DeadUniverse released so far, as well as the web series released by AMC. The four web series tied toThe Walking Deadflagship series are officially listed on IMDb as separate seasons under the titleThe Walking Dead: The Webisodes.The four web series tied toFear the Walking Deadare officially listed on IMDb as four different miniseries, so that is how they are included here.
It may be the aftershow for theWalking Deaduniverse of shows, but this highly-entertaining talk show is too much fun to leave off the list. Hosted by G4 alum Chris Hardwick,Talking Deadmade its debut immediately after the season two premiere episode in 2011, featuring celebrity guests commenting on theirWalking Deadfandom in a live, talk-show format. Airing after new episodes ofWalking Deadshows,Talking Deadwas instrumental in growing the fan base. Their “In Memoriam” segments are classic.
This four-part documentary series was a pretty effective way of summarizing the show’s major storylines ahead of the eleventh, final season. Each hour-long episode ofThe Walking Dead: Originsfocused on a single character: Daryl, Maggie, Negan, and Carol. Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Melissa McBride narrate their character’s journey through a series of clips, and it’s an effective, entertaining way of refreshing viewers' memories from a decade’s worth of shows.
Related:The Walking Dead: 10 Major Differences Between the TV Show and the Comics
Fear the Walking Dead: Passageis a webisode series released after the conclusion of season three, and it was supposed to tie into future episodes. That idea was abandoned for some reason, so this sixteen-part series remains an odd, almost pointless entry in theWalking Deaduniverse. There’s little zombie action and very little backstory that could have made this a worthwhile viewing.
Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Waterwebisode series served as a prequel to season six, and features Nick Stahl reprising his role as Riley, the weapons officer on the submarine USSPennsylvania, which features prominently on the show. The series covers the zombie outbreak on the submarine, as the crew begins to turn and the survivors struggle to save the boat and protect the nuclear weapons on board.
The six episodes run about 40 minutes in total, about the length of an episode. While Stahl and some cast members give solid performances, and there are some great moments, the entire production feels a bit too low-budget, and the zombie makeup looks amateurish. The ending is a bit too conveniently timed, but a nice cameo helps make this web series an entertaining diversion.
After multiple seasons in theWalking Deadfranchise established just how dangerous it is to survive a zombie apocalypse,The Walking Dead: The World Beyonddefied the logic of those shows, and fans weren’t having it. It tried to build a show around a bunch of unskilled, unlikeable Gen Zers who seemed to have no problem fending off zombie attacks. The unnerving sense of danger that made the other shows great was gone.
In addition to the tepid zombie action, the characters spent half of their time dispensing fortune-cookie life affirmations and delivering monologues that made even the most dedicatedDeadfans cringe. The most interesting characters were marginalized, and often killed off, and the show relied heavily on building the backstory of the Civic Republic, the organization that took Rick Grimes, and establishinghow the zombie outbreak started. The show ended after two disappointing seasons, despite having Julia Ormond and Pollyanna MacIntosh in the cast.
OnFear the Walking Dead, Maggie Grace played Althea, a former journalist who is now documenting the stories of the survivors of the zombie outbreak. In the web seriesFear the Walking Dead: The Althea Tapes, we see interviews from survivors that aren’t on the show, so each episode is made up of someone telling a story. They are generally very well-acted, very entertaining shorts. The series is available to view on YouTube and the AMC website.
The first of theFearweb series,Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462was released in weekly one-minute increments in October 2015, andties directly to season two. It’s set on an airplane taking off just as the zombie outbreak begins. After one of the passengers dies and is then reanimated mid-flight, chaos ensues. Alex (Michelle Ang) is a passenger aware of the zombie threat and hoping to get out of the city. Ang (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Drama Series, and the series itself earned a Best Short Form Drama nomination.
In 2011, AMC began exploring the obscure corners of the Dead universe by releasing the first of four web series. Each web series inThe Walking Dead: The Webisodesacts as an individual season, offering a unique storyline that connects to the flagship series. Season 1 (2011), “Torn Apart,” told the origin story of a famous zombie inWalking Deadlore. Season 2 (2012), “Cold Storage,” told the story of survivors riding out the apocalypse in a storage warehouse. Season 3 (2013), “The Oath,” starred Wyatt Russell (Marvel’sThunderbolts,The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) in a story about a couple who seek refuge in a hospital. Season 4 (2017), “Red Machete,” tells the origin story of the Rick Grimes' infamous weapon. All four seasons ofThe Webisodesare available to watch on the officialWalking DeadYouTube page.
Tales of the Walking Deadis an anthology series set in the Walking Dead Universe and features one-shot tales featuring guest stars. It’s a great format for a zombie show, although most of the episodes didn’t quite live up to their potential. The standout episode of the season, however, sawthe return of Samantha Mortonas the Whisperer leader Dee, telling a story from her past.
Related:The Walking Dead Cast and Character Guide
The series deserves credit for daring to be different and telling some experimental stories — including a hilarious, time-bending tale starring Parker Posey and Jillian Bell as two women reliving the start of the zombie outbreak over and over again,Groundhog Day-style. It was a risk-taking story that didn’t always work, but it was the spark of originality this franchise needs to see more of.
As the first primetime spinoff in theWalking Deaduniverse,Fear the Walking Deadhas never reached the heights of popularity that the original series did. It’s not for a lack of trying; the show has seen major cast turnover and a number of soft reboots. That hasn’t helped retain or lure viewers, yet despite some uneven seasons,Fearhas given us some truly outstanding television, with some seasons rivaling the flagship series.
Seasons two and three, which saw the setting shift from a resort hotel in Mexico to a survivalist camp in Arizona, were extremely well done. Kim Dickens is fantastic in the lead, and the supporting cast, including Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, and Lennie James, are equally good.
