How much of The Walking Dead is there left to chew on? Premiering on Halloween in 2010, The Walking Dead has enjoyed a strong run as one of the biggest shows on television for a solid decade. The zombie apocalypse has survived numerous character changes, the departure of its protagonist and a few narrative overhauls, and was almost done with its tenth season before being put on hold by an outbreak in the real world. When The Walking Dead season 10 finally does conclude, an eleventh run won't be too far behind, as AMC have already green-lit the next batch of episodes. But how long will the series run after that?
As things stand, season 10 of The Walking Dead is in the climax of the Whisperer War arc, with Beta and his skin-clad goons closing in on the evacuees of Alexandria. This setup is quite a deviation from Robert Kirkman's original comics where the horde attacks Alexandria directly. Simultaneous to this attack, Eugene is leading a group to meet a brand new community, The Commonwealth, after getting into a long-distanced relationship with one of its residents. These events roughly correlate with chapters 161/162 of the original comic books, the latter of which released in January 2017, with the journey to The Commonwealth coming in #170. The Walking Dead comics ended in July 2019, giving 2-2.5 years of material to work with.
The Walking Dead's chapters don't always neatly translate into seasons, but given how the Commonwealth arc is already progressing, the remainder of the comic material should be covered by seasons 11 and 12 of The Walking Dead. Season 11 would finish the Whisperer story and include the first part of the Commonwealth chapters, ending with a typically big moment and leaving season 12 to conclude the story. Strictly by the comics, The Walking Dead should end with season 12 in 2022, but this won't necessarily be the case, as there's plenty of evidence to suggest the TV series will go further than the original story.
AMC and The Walking Dead's producers have spoken widely about expanding their brand, and have commissioned a brand new series (World Beyond) and a Rick Grimes spin-off movie in order to facilitate that. Such a bold strategy indicates that The Walking Dead won't be wrapping up any time soon, and that plans are afoot to lengthen the franchise's lifespan. This theory certainly fits with what fans are seeing on TV. The helicopter group who took Rick (known as the CRM) are entirely original to the TV series and are being slowly built-up across all 3 The Walking Dead shows as a potential future storyline. It certainly wouldn't be surprising to see a legitimate CRM arc begin after the completion of the Commonwealth story, officially taking The Walking Dead beyond the comic books. If this happened, there's no telling when the show would come to an end.
On the other hand, it's also distinctly possible that The Walking Dead's final days could be close. Although it remains the most popular property on AMC, The Walking Dead's viewership has been in decline for some time, with the latest season posting some of the lowest figures in the show's history. While shifting viewing habits certainly play a part in this, it's impossible to deny that The Walking Dead isn't as popular as it once was. It's also worth noting that while showrunners and producers talk as if The Walking Dead could continue for another decade, Robert Kirkman's comic series did something similar before surprising readers with an abrupt final chapter. The Walking Dead TV series could pull the same trick, finishing with season 12 and staying perfectly in line with the comics.
As for the rest of the franchise, Fear The Walking Dead is currently heading into its sixth season. Given how the spin-off has suffered both in terms of viewership and critical reaction, it would surprising it FTWD lasted for another run. The franchise's new series, World Beyond, has already been confirmed to only last 2 seasons. This means both spin-offs could potentially be finished by 2022 also. The bubbling story of the CRM might stay within the confines of The Walking Dead's upcoming movie, and the success (or otherwise) of that debut cinematic outing will determine whether the zombie adventures continue on the big screen or not. The Walking Dead has 2 seasons of material to work with; after that, there will be a decision to make.
The Walking Dead season 10 is currently on hiatus.