‘The Walking Dead’ Announces Last Season, With Norman Reedus Spin-Off In The Works

The award-winning AMC drama series about the survivors of a zombie plague, The Walking Dead, announced on Twitter that it would be airing its last season in 2022. The tweet also verified that there are plans to continue the series afterward, with a spin-off starring Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride set for release in 2023.

The over ten years spanning post-apocalyptic series had to delay the release of the last its Season 10 episodes due to the pandemic. The show’s creators have announced an Oct. 4 air date as well as future plans for the brand. These plans include the airing of a 24-episode Season 11, their largest episode count yet, that will serve as the conclusion of the series, with there being expectations of a six-episode miniseries that will follow soon after. Season 11 is expected premiere in 2021 and then air its last episode sometime in 2022. But this will apparently not be the last chapter in the Walking Dead saga as Reedus and McBride signed on to star in a yet unnamed spin-off, with Angela Kang attached as showrunner.

Reedus and McBride play fan-favorite characters, Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier respectively, both portrayed as being close advisors or friends of series protagonist Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln.

Reedus publicly expressed his excitement to be paired with McBride’s character. In a statement, Reedus said, “Daryl’s relationship with Carol has always been my favorite relationship on the show. Sorry, Rick. 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 canon includes many companion series like Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead and now this newly announced spin-off. All of the TV series are adaptations of Robert Kirkman’s Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead comic book that ran from 2003 to 2019. By comparison, many plot elements remain faithful to the graphic novels, with some liberties taken with the show, including the portrayals of new and original characters not found in Kirkman’s stories.