The long running zombie apocalypse series The Walking Dead as well as it's spinoff Fear The Walking Dead have been going strong on AMC for years now, and as the most successful franchise in the network's history it comes as no surprise that they are working on yet another Walking Dead spinoff. This new series, titled The Walking Dead: World Beyond is going to be set 10 years after the original apocalypse and focus on younger characters who have essentially grown up in this zombie-ridden world.
There isn't enough information out about Walking Dead: World Beyond yet to make a full judgment on it either way, but there are definitely some pros and cons to creating yet another TWD spinoff. So here's 5 reasons we're excited to see the new series, and 5 reasons why we wish AMC had just skipped it.
Excited: Because We've Seen What These Writers Can Do
One of the most exciting aspects of The Walking Dead: World Beyond is that it's going to be headed up by The Walking Dead's longtime producer and writer, Matthew Negrete.
Obviously he's intimately familiar with this world, and after Angela Kang has done such a bang up job essentially bringing The Walking Dead back to life it's extremely encouraging that this new show will give another one of TWD's longtime crew members the opportunity to stretch their legs in this fictional universe and make it their own. It's not a guarantee that the show will be good, but that's a good start.
Not: Because Not Much Has Changed
The whole premise of a zombie apocalypse that forces the living humans to continue fighting for their own survival is an interesting one. However, at this point it feels like there is no reason to continually expand the franchise of Walking Dead TV shows because to put it simply, nothing has changed.
The premise of this entire post-apocalyptic world is exactly the same as it's always been, so what is the appeal of creating an entirely new TV show that has already been the premise of two TV shows that are currently on air?
Excited: Because Maybe They'll Stick With Some Characters
One of the most valid complaints about the original Walking Dead as well as Fear The Walking Dead is that the show runs through characters so fast that it's almost hard to get attached to them at this point.
Typically the audience will be introduced to new characters, those characters will die senselessly and often randomly, and then there will be a new set of characters at the forefront of the series. But with this particular show idea, a cast of characters who have actually grown up in this world (and are presumably pretty well suited to surviving in it), it seems like they might have a main cast that is around long enough to get invested in.
Not: Because We've Already Seen Kids Grow Up Here
As of now Judith Grimes is really the only central figure in The Walking Dead who has grown up in the world of the dead. But Carl was one of the main characters of the series before, and TWD really hasn't ever had a period where they didn't have at least one child character at the forefront of the story.
So while the premise of Walking Dead: World Beyond is somewhat unique in the sense that these characters will be the focal point, it's not unique in the sense that it's something that the audience has never seen before.
Excited: Because They Can Do Something Different
As far as spinoffs go, Fear The Walking Dead has been a pretty good one. However, it's not particularly different from the original series, it's basically an identical concept but just focused on a different area of the US, and therefore focused on different characters.
Walking Dead: World Beyond is the TWD universe's first attempt at a series that actually has a fundamentally different idea from the first two shows, which makes the series feel very distinct and which gives the show the opportunity to take it's story in a significantly different direction in comparison to the shows too.
Not: Because It's Time For Something New
It's no surprise that AMC wants to cash in on TWD as much as possible. It's their most successful series ever, and although it has had it's ups and downs, the franchise still dramatically outperforms everything else on the channel.
However, AMC has had a lot of quality TV shows in it's past, and it would be awesome to see the network diversify it's offerings instead of producing yet another Walking Dead series. It's very possible that The Walking Dead: World Beyond will be a unique show in it's own right and that it's creators are seriously inspired to create another story within this world, but it's also possible that it's just a cash grab.
Excited: Because It's A Premise We Haven't Seen Before
The Walking Dead is awesome and Fear The Walking Dead has it's moments of greatness, but to be honest there is not a lot to either series beyond it's very fundamental foundation.
The shows are about people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, and there is nothing that the shows are built on besides that. So venturing into this world again is an idea that has potential, but it's encouraging that Walking Dead: World Beyond has a concept fueling it that goes beyond just a bunch of survivors trying to survive the apocalypse.
Not: Because The Current Shows Should Be Better
In fairness to TWD, after a few seasons where it seemed like the show was really starting to lose it's luster the new showrunner seemingly pulled it back from the brink and made it's latest season one of the best seasons of TWD in years.
And although Fear The Walking Dead seems to be flagging a bit, they are at least trying to revitalize the show and bring back some of it's former glory. However, it seems obvious that before creating an entirely new show based in this franchise, getting the currently extant shows to be their best should be a priority.
Excited: Because This Universe Is Vast
The fact that the entire infrastructure of the US, and likely the world, has collapsed means that even if the characters that TWD and FTWD follow travel far and wide, the world that they can inhabit at one moment is extremely small.
We've also seen how extreme some pockets of this new world have gotten since the old world fell apart, so exploring more of that devolved humanity and seeing exactly what it has devolved into is a really interesting prospect. And of course, seeing it all through the eyes of people who have never really experienced the old world is a new and different perspective for the TWD universe.
Not: Because We Have Enough Walking Dead
Even for fans of The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, it seems like Walking Dead: World Beyond might be overkill. Or, at the very least, most TWD-verse fans weren't sitting around complaining that they wish there was even more TWD to consume.
AMC understandably wants to capitalize on the world of TWD's success for as long as that success lasts, but it also seems like AMC may be the only one who was actually itching for another TWD-based series. Fingers crossed that World Beyond winds up being awesome, but it's hard to get excited about something that already feels a bit overdone.