AMC has announced that The Walking Dead, which made history as the highest-rated series in the history of cable television and has given life to a vibrant and expanding content universe, will end with an expanded two-year 11th season that will span 24 episodes. With the previously announced six extra Season 10 episodes scheduled for early next year, there are 30 remaining episodes of the flagship series that will run through late 2022.
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As The Walking Dead universe continues to expand, the original series will be followed by a greenlit spinoff focused on the popular Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) characters, which will premiere in 2023 and be run by current The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang, who co-created the series with Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe. AMC is also working with Gimple to develop a new Tales of the Walking Dead series, an episodic anthology with individual episodes or arcs of episodes focused on new or existing characters, backstories, or other stand-alone experiences. The company, working closely with Gimple, is also developing a number of other new and innovative projects grounded in The Walking Dead universe.
“It’s been ten years ‘gone bye;’ what lies ahead are two more to come and stories and stories to tell beyond that,” said Gimple. “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.”
“I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years,” said Kang. “‘The Walking Dead’ flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol. Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I’m thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together.”
“Of course, I’ve always enjoyed working so closely with Norman throughout these many seasons. In playing Carol, and as a viewer of the show, I’ve also long been intrigued with ‘Daryl and Carol,’ and by what so early on between them, even then, felt somehow bound,” said McBride. “Their shared history is long, and each’s own personal fight to survive, even longer – the more obvious aspect of what has kept them close and loyal. But there is also a rather mysterious aspect to their fondness for one another that I enjoy, and their playfulness when the world permits. I’m very curious! Angela has a way of shaking things up in great and unexpected ways. She’s like a kid playing with the dimmer switch! I’m very excited!”
“I feel incredibly honored to be a part of ‘The Walking Dead.’ This show changed my life and career and everyone involved has truly been a family for me over the last decade. 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.”
The Walking Dead premiered on Halloween night in 2010 as the #1 cable series launch of all time, later surpassed by other AMC series Fear the Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, and Into the Badlands, and is the most-watched series in cable history. It was also the first cable series to become the #1 show in all of television, including broadcast, a rank it held for five consecutive years. In its current 10th season, The Walking Dead remains the #1 series on basic cable for the 11th consecutive year. All of the top 73 cable entertainment telecasts for the past decade have been airings of The Walking Dead.
The series has also given life to a vibrant and expanding content universe that currently includes Talking Dead; Fear the Walking Dead, returning for its sixth season on October 11; The Walking Dead: World Beyond, a new series about the first generation raised in the apocalypse, debuting October 4; a feature film being produced by Universal and Skybound, alongside AMC, focused on the Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) character; a new spinoff planned for 2023 focused on the popular Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) characters; and the new Tales of the Walking Dead episodic anthology series.
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The Walking Dead is produced by AMC Studios and executive produced by Gimple, Kang, Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero, Denise Huth, and Joseph Incaprera.
