The Walking Dead season 10 is receiving six additional episodes that will air early next year. The regular airing schedule of The Walking Dead season 10 was interrupted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic leading to restrictions on production. This forced AMC to delay The Walking Dead season 10 finale from its original April date to October, when it will now debut before the premiere of the new Walking Dead spinoff, World Beyond.
With The Walking Dead season 10 only airing its finale in the fall, the question of when season 11 can be expected to air quickly arises. Typically, The Walking Dead follows the pattern of airing the first half of a season in October, followed by the the back half in February. Obviously, with work unable to continue as normal due to COVID-19, The Walking Dead won't be able to begin filming season 11 in time for a regular October premiere. However, that doesn't mean it'll be a full year before new episodes of The Walking Dead will air.
During The Walking Dead's virtual panel for Comic-Con@Home, showrunner Angela Kang announced that season 10 is being expanded to include six additional episodes that are tentatively scheduled to air in early 2021. This decision came about in light of COVID-19 still preventing production from beginning on season 11. However, while production cannot yet resume, the writers' room has continued to work remotely, and as a result, there are six episodes planned for release in early 2021 that will now serve as an extension of season 10 rather than the start of The Walking Dead season 11.
As Kang also explained, these episodes will follow the episode originally considered The Walking Dead season 10 finale, "A Certain Doom". That means it's likely these six episodes are what was already being planned for season 11, though perhaps not necessarily the exact six episodes that would have kicked off a Walking Dead season 11. It's possible, then, that the six episodes chosen to extend season 10 will focus largely on one plot over another. For example, The Walking Dead episodes scheduled for early 2021 may stick entirely with those characters who survive Beta's incoming attack, or perhaps the group on their way to meet with the Commonwealth. The six additional episodes could also all be spent exploring Maggie's return since Lauren Cohan rejoining The Walking Dead is among the most exciting things about season 11.
Of course, more of The Walking Dead season 10 assumes production will be able to resume in a timely manner. The current plan is a tentative one, Kang admitted, but with the goal being just six episodes instead of the usual eight or more, there's hope The Walking Dead could manage to release the episodes within the first quarter of 2021. More details about the episodes have been promised, and it's likely that once AMC is given the go ahead to resume filming on The Walking Dead, a firmer date for the continuation of season 10 will be announced. Then again, given how the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc, it wouldn't be all too shocking to learn these extra six episodes of The Walking Dead season 10 wind up delayed, too.
The Walking Dead season 10 returns with "A Certain Doom" on Sunday, October 4 at 9pm/8c on AMC.
Source: Angela Kang/AMC