The Walking Dead (2010 – 2022)

The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard—together forming the core of The Walking Dead franchise.

The series features a large ensemble cast as survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to stay alive under near-constant threat of attacks from zombies known as “walkers” (among other nicknames). However, with the collapse of modern civilization, these survivors must confront other human survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own sets of laws and morals, sometimes leading to open, hostile conflict between them.

Andrew Lincoln played the lead character of Rick Grimes until his departure in the ninth season. Other long-standing cast members have included Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam and Ross Marquand. The Walking Dead is produced by AMC Studios within the state of Georgia, with most filming taking place in the large outdoor spaces of Riverwood Studios near Senoia, Georgia.

The series was initially adapted from the comic by Frank Darabont, who also served as the showrunner for the first season. However, conflicts between Darabont and AMC forced his departure from the series and resulted in multiple lawsuits by Darabont and others. Glen Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple, and Angela Kang served as subsequent showrunners.

The series is exclusively broadcast on AMC in the United States and internationally through the Fox Networks Group and Disney+. The series premiered on October 31, 2010. The eleventh and final season premiered on August 22, 2021, and will air until 2022.

AMC have also further developed the series into related media; a spinoff series, Fear the Walking Dead, premiered on August 23, 2015, and is currently airing its sixth season. A second spinoff, a two-season limited series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, premiered on October 4, 2020. AMC announced plans for three films to follow Rick’s story after Lincoln’s departure. In 2020, two further spinoffs were announced: one focused on Reedus’ and McBride’s characters, and an anthology series to feature individual character backstories.

Beginning with its third season, The Walking Dead has attracted the most 18- to 49-year-old viewers of any cable or broadcast television series, though viewership has declined in later seasons. In addition, the series has been overall positively received by critics. It has been nominated for several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the Writers Guild of America Award for New Series.

The eleventh and final season premiered on August 22, 2021, and the series will conclude in 2022.