The end of the world is changing. After 11 seasons The Walking Dead’s series finale is this year. But the universe of the show is, if anything, getting even bigger and doing so in a way that reflects the apocalypse at its core and the pandemic that has come to define this phase of modern life. Alasdair Stuart looks at the state of the Walking Dead world…

 

Previously The Walking Dead has been a three show franchise: the core series, the increasingly excellent and daring Fear the Walking Dead which is about to enter its eighth year and World Beyond, centring on the first generation born into the post-Fall world. That show, designed to run two years, left off with a moment which sets up the next phase of everything that follows it: a scene set in France revealing that the virus that caused the outbreak has evolved and now, Walkers turn almost instantly, move twice as fast and, terrifyingly, appear to have retained intelligence and fine motor skills. The moment in the Walking Dead Season 11’s final trailer, with a Walker apparently climbing over the wall that previously had been enough to keep them out, speaks to this.

We know this new development is going to be a vital part of the next phase and we know it’s not alone. The fact that two large scale societies, at least, exist is going to have be addressed too. The Commonwealth have 50,000 residents, the CRM have 200,000 and enough resources to kill a city if they need to. Both societies are trying to address how to survive and World Beyond did some of its best work exploring the fact that the CRM are still looking for a cure, albeit one for the Walkers not for the virus that created them. In addition there’s also the huge army Michonne witnessed in her final scene to date, which could be either of these two groups or may well be someone entirely new.

Then there’s the issue of Rick and the issue of Michonne, both of whom have been absent from the core show but both of whom we know are on the way back. On top of that there’s the hint that Morgan may be returning to the core show at some point soon too, the fate of the survivors of World Beyond and what’s going to happen to the folks who survive the final third of Season 11. There’s a lot going on and it’s being addressed in four new series.

 

Tales of the Walking Dead, the first, has just started its run. This is an anthology show which is going to introduce new characters and perspectives at the same time as occasional episodes about characters from the other shows. Early word is good, there’s a musical episode that’s been at least written for year 2 and will hopefully be performed, and it’s a fun idea which looks set to spotlight some great talents and give us some new perspectives.

Following that is Dead City, previously known as Isle of the Dead, which sees Negan and Maggie relocate to New York. That’s basically all we know beyond the fact that a series focusing on the oddest murder sort-of-buddies in the show is a great idea. Then there’s the Rick and Michonne show, bringing the two characters back and exploring what happened to them in a project originally planned as a trilogy of movies.  Finally, there’s the Daryl spin-off which has been confirmed as being set in Europe.

 

That’s four wildly different premises with two vital factors in common; their format and the way they look set to explore the world of the series. Three of them in particular look set to explore the future of that world.

Tales is the exception, moving around on the timeline as an anthology can. Along with Fear the Walking Dead that looks set to become the core of the franchise, playing the complex double harmonies of nostalgia and novelty that a world this well-travelled needs to survive.

Dead City is the first one to break new ground and the fact the show has hinted at a very different style of story (zip lines between buildings for one) suggests that the pair travel to New York for a very specific reason, perhaps something to do with the new strain. Regardless, given the world, simply travelling that distance seems like a huge endeavour.

One that pales in comparison to Daryl Dixon hitting the roads of France. This seems like the show which is going to most directly continue the overall plot. We saw the new Walkers introduced in Paris and an outbreak, or word of a cure, is certainly powerful enough motivation for Daryl to go traveling. I’m honestly fascinated to see how that gets done in the future of The Walking Dead and also how Carol factors into this, given Melissa McBride initially backed out of the show but has hinted she’ll be making occasional appearances.

And finally, Rick and Michonne. This is one part back-filling continuity one part pushing things forward, especially given how it’s been hinted Rick is central to the resistance to the CRM seen in World Beyond. My guess is this is the show most likely to get a second year precisely because of the narrative weight these two characters carry.

 

So that’s an anthology, two definite mini-series and one possible mini-series. All of them, of course, have the capacity to continue past their first year but this feels like a stylistic step change for the franchise. The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead were both arguably harmed by the fact they had set season lengths to fill at several points in their runs and this new format plays as a solution to that. Not to mention a chance to give a lot of popular character more screen time than they’d get as part of an ensemble.

Full disclosure: if we get a Jerry show next, I will high five everyone.

But there’s also a curious meta-fictional element to all this. The Walking Dead is a series about a response to a viral outbreak, albeit a bitey one. This new format plays like a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smaller casts mean smaller costs but they also mean smaller risks. It’s very notable that all of these shows are either single character or duo-centric and given how hard every show has worked to address workplace safety this feels both smart and, weirdly, compassionate. Here’s hoping a lot of other series, and governments, follow their example.

 

Tales of the Walking Dead starts this month.

The Walking Dead: The Last Episodes begins on 2 October

Dead City is filming. The Daryl show is in pre-production.