Since both its debut in 2010 and its end in late 2022, The Walking Dead has spawned a number of spin-offs. This includes the upcoming series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live centered around fan favorite characters Rick Grimes and Michonne.
Some of the spin-offs have hit it out of the park, lasting multiple seasons. The longest running is Fear the Walking Dead, which will come to an end in 2023 after its eighth and final season. Others have recently premiered and already received second season renewals. Every The Walking Dead spin-off has added something to the story, but some have been better than others.
6 The Walking Dead Web Series (2011-2017)
The Walking Dead webisodes were supplementary content more than anything else, designed for die-hard fans to fill gaps between episodes and seasons. There have been four in total: Torn Apart, released in 2011, Cold Storage (2012), The Oath (2013), and Red Machete. They lasted through the peak seasons of the series, which itself went through ebbs and flows with viewership and storylines in the seasons that followed.
The webisodes were released exclusively online, and each season had multiple episodes. Torn Apart focuses on the backstory of the young girl Rick killed in the very first episode, for example. Cold Storage is about two survivors who meet with a swarm of walkers in a storage facility. The episodes were more fan service than anything else, but still a worthwhile watch for some added, entertaining content.
5 Tales of the Walking Dead (2022)
The biggest departure from the usual tone of The Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead was delivered anthology style with a different story of survivors in the apocalypse for each episode. Each episode also has its own unique tone, from horror to humor. They also star big name actors, including Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Parker Posey, Samantha Morton (reprising her role from the original in a backstory format), and Anthony Edwards versus the relative unknowns who became household names after, for many of them, breakout roles in The Walking Dead.
Because of how each episode differed from the next, the episodes varied in terms of ratings and reviews. Tales of the Walking Dead is was a refreshing take on the apocalyptic series but it was still clear that everything existed in the same universe. Nonetheless, some viewers went in expecting a similar tone and were disappointed at the way it diverted from the original.
4 Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020-2021)
Despite not being as well received as some of the other spin-offs, only lasting two seasons, Walking Dead: World Beyond serves its purpose well. The series provides a look into the Civic Republic Military (CRM), which, up until that point, had only been mentioned sparingly within the universe. Most notably, it’s the group expected to have helicoptered Rick to safety with Jadis in his final episode before leaving the original show.
In this spin-off, fans got to see the inner workings of the CRM, Jadis’ role within in, and view the apocalypse from the perspective of teenagers who grew up sheltered from the hellish reality outside the walls of their school. It was the final scene of the series, however, that set up stories to come. It’s the first time fans saw a walker with speed and agility, suggesting the virus was mutating. It also included a cameo from Dr. Edwin Jenner, the CDC virologist who first told Rick that everyone turns, revealing some interesting tidbits of information about the outbreak. It's a can’t-miss post-credits scene that’s even worth watching on its own.
3 Fear the Walking Dead (2015-2013)
The most successful The Walking Dead spin-off in terms of series, Fear the Walking Dead started out strong and has had a long and eventful run. While the series began with an entirely new group of survivors and a new setting of Los Angeles as well as Mexico, the cast changes, premature deaths, and the weirdly diverting storylines were met by disappointment from some fans. This series, however, introduced exciting character crossovers, most notably Morgan Jones, one of The Walking Dead’s original characters.
The odd twists and turns continue, and some fans believe the show has overstayed its welcome. Nonetheless, in the beginning, Fear the Walking Dead was compelling for the way it explored the outbreak from before it initially happened versus after it was already well underway. Characters were presented in their pre-apocalypse lives and the intensity built slowly as characters realized what was happening and panicked to find a way to survive.
2 Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023-)
Featuring the fan favorite character Daryl Dixon, one of the few who never existed in the comics, Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has already been renewed for a second season and inspired many theories about how it will end. The setting is France where Daryl has mysteriously washed ashore and finds himself facing a whole new set of challenges.
While Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is more of Daryl’s fighting and tracking skills, grunts, and disdain for just about everyone and everything, the show has him meeting both new enemies and friends. It also has a The Last of Us vibe as he’s tasked with helping transport a young boy to safety. Fans finally get to see a softer side of Daryl, which itself is worth checking out. With only six episodes, it’s a quick watch.
1 Walking Dead: Dead City (2023-)
Also already renewed for a second season, fans love the dynamic between Negan and Maggie in the original series, so it made sense to extend this to a spin-off series. Walking Dead: Dead City delivers, further exploring the fractured relationship between the two sworn enemies forced to work together to survive.
Despite all of Negan’s moves to make good for his heinous actions, and the fact that he’s proven time and time again to have become a good guy, Maggie understandably still can’t forgive him for his brutal killing of her husband. Walking Dead: Dead City takes a short time leap and explores the relationship between Maggie and her now teenage son Hershel as well. The show also introduces fascinating new storylines (some of which tie into the old ones) in a new setting with unique challenges and interesting new ways people have learned to survive. Walking Dead: Dead City is the perfect blend of old stories that existing fans will love and new challenges that even viewers new to the franchise will appreciate.