How The Walking Dead Fans Really Feel About More Spin-Offs
With its lengthy storyline and numerous easily missed small details, "The Walking Dead" has been one of the more enduring TV shows out there. However, everything comes to an end eventually. Whether you're genuinely thrilled about each new episode or just enjoy making zombie-themed puns about the series' apparent refusal to stay down, Season 11 of "The Walking Dead" is destined to take the wind from your sails, because its ending will also be the show's final episode. Well, the final episode of the original show, anyway.
Over the years, "The Walking Dead" universe has expanded like the titular apocalypse scenario. From "Fear the Walking Dead" and "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" to the "Tales of the Walking Dead" anthology and several upcoming spin-offs, it's pretty clear that the dead fully intend to march on for the foreseeable future.
"The Walking Dead" spin-offs often feature characters that have already appeared in the parent show, from "Fear the Walking Dead" antagonist Jason Riley's (Nick Stahl) return in "Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water" to works that focus on character pairs like Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan), or Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus). In other words, there will be a wealth of post-apocalyptic drama even after the original show finally grinds to a halt.
Most recently, AMC announced a six-part "The Walking Dead" universe miniseries starring Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), which is set to replace the planned trilogy of Rick-centric "The Walking Dead" movies (via Deadline). But what do the fans think of this latest tidal wave in the constant barrage of "The Walking Dead" spin-offs?
Some fans aren't thrilled about the increasing number of The Walking Dead spin-offs
While the lengthy run of "Fear the Walking Dead" indicates fairly clearly that there's room for more than one "The Walking Dead" show at any given time, some fans have voiced their concerns about the franchise's apparent focus on spin-offs at the expense of the original show's storylines. In a Reddit discussion about the upcoming Rick and Michonne miniseries, several users aired their grievances with the direction the franchise is taking.
"Such wasted potential. The Walking Dead was great but there is no end game, no final destination, just endless story loops with characters just wandering around like the undead. I love this show but once you see there is no plot, it really sucks. Would you read a book that doesn't end?" u/kain459 analyzed the never-ending nature of the franchise's various spin-offs and branching storylines.
Meanwhile, u/Spydiggity expressed disappointment about the Rick-Michonne miniseries replacing the movies with yet another spinoff show. "When they announced the films, it sounded like they were going to be theatrical releases, making me think they were going to get a real budget with real writers, directors, and actors. Instead, it's just going to be the same old thing," they wrote. "I am a fan of watching this whole universe become an actual zombie," u/EASTOSAKA opined.
These latest viewer aggrievances continue the recent trend of "The Walking Dead" fan concerns about spin-off news. When the "Isle of the Dead" show focusing on Maggie and Negan was announced in March, fans also complained about the never-ending barrage of spin-offs. While there were — and still are — many positive comments as well, the voices speaking against more and more spin-offs might not grow any quieter as long as "The Walking Dead" franchise keeps adding to its array of shows.