AMC has confirmed that Fear the Walking Dead season 8 will be the show’s last, bringing an end to the first spin-off from popular horror drama The Walking Dead after more than 100 episodes.
The news was confirmed during a recent Television Critics Association press tour and subsequently confirmed via Variety. Alongside confirming that Fear the Walking Dead will wrap up this year, AMC also announced its final season will consist of 12 episodes delivered in two parts. The first collection of six episodes will debut on May 14 on AMC and AMC Plus, while the finale run will release later in 2023.
Premiering in August 2015, Fear the Walking Dead began its life as a loose prequel to the flagship Walking Dead series, but over the past seven seasons has developed an identity of its own and horde of passionate viewers.
AMC has teased that Fear the Walking Dead season 8 will see the fallout of Morgan’s (Lennie James) and Madison’s (Kim Dickens) failed attempt to rescue Mo from a supposed safe zone known as Padre. And, in typical Walking Dead fashion, there will be plenty of new threats both living and undead.
The flagship Walking Dead show concluded last year after 11 seasons and 177 episodes, so it’s not too surprising to see Fear the Walking Dead also being brought to an end as well. But The Walking Dead franchise isn’t being permanently finished-off, quite the opposite. AMC is just getting started...
The Walking Dead Universe lives on
At the same time the end of Fear the Walking Dead was announced, AMC also gave various updates on the larger Walking Dead Universe (which is apparently a thing).
The next spin-off set to premiere will be The Walking Dead: Dead City in April. Focused on flagship-series favorites Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) the show will see the unlikely pair forced to rely on each other in the crumbling ruins of Manhattan. Ever wanted to see zombies walking across the Brooklyn Bridge? This is your chance.
This will be followed by the long-in-development The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, a spin-off focused on, you guessed it, Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon. This new show will see Dixon wash ashore in France and struggles to piece together just how he got to the European capital. Of course, the bigger question is can Daryl find a way back home, and will the new connections he forms complicate his ultimate plan?
Finally, there will be a limited series that reunites Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Described by AMC as “an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world” the show is expected to enter production this year and debut sometime in 2024. Following Lincoln’s departure from the main Walking Dead show in 2018, this will mark Rick’s return to the franchise and is arguably the most anticipated of the three confirmed spin-offs.
Speaking on all this Walking Dead news, AMC’s Dan McDermott said: “It’s a truly exciting year for The Walking Dead Universe, as we conclude an epic journey on Fear the Walking Dead, which became one of the most successful shows in the history of cable television.
“And now we are set to bring forth the next iteration of the franchise – two new and anticipated series featuring the beloved characters of Maggie, Negan and Daryl. Along with that we begin production on the next chapter in Rick and Michonne’s unforgettable love story, which we look forward to sharing next year. This next phase of our beloved Walking Dead franchise promises to engage and enthrall faithful viewers.”
So, there’s plenty more Walking Dead to come. But in the meantime, if you want a slightly different flavor of zombie-survival series, be sure to check out HBO’s The Last of Us. Based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name, it’s set to premiere this Sunday (January 15) and is already earning rave reviews from critics.
