After an extended break due to the COVID-related production shutdowns, The Walking Dead franchise has returned to television this October. The planned Season 10 finale for the main series aired over a week ago (now a transitional episode as six more eps have been ordered for the season to air in 2021), and that was followed by the premiere of new series The Walking Dead: World Beyond (originally scheduled for a Spring 2021 debut) and the Season 6 debut for Fear the Walking Dead (delayed from a planned Summer start). But the ongoing audience attrition that I refer to affectionately as the “Walking Dexit” continues as all three entries have posted low ratings compared to the franchise’s previous performance. AMC still has big plans for what it refers to as “The Walking Dead Universe”, but with dwindling viewership, you have to wonder how much more life is left in this property.
The season “finale” for The Walking Dead posted a 0.87 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 2.7 million total viewers. That marks a series-low rating and it is somewhat surprising considering that season finales (this episode wraps up the Whisperer War) usually score higher viewership and the last episode to air in Spring left viewers on a pretty big cliffhanger. But AMC already knows where they are going with the parent series as its upcoming eleventh season (extended to twenty-four episodes that will air over two years) will be its last.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond scored a 0.49 rating in the demo with 1.6 million total viewers for its premiere which aired immediately after TWD. Those are respectable ratings for a basic cable series these days, but the show dropped to a 0.29 rating with one million total viewers in its second week without the parent series as a lead-in. Those are not terrible numbers, but I am sure that AMC execs were hoping for a better performance from this one. World Beyond was planned as a limited series in advance, though, and will wrap up after two ten-episode seasons. If the ratings had been higher, I’m sure the network would have considered extending the show’s run, but I would not count on that at this point.
Fear the Walking Dead had its sixth season debut this past Sunday and it posted a 0.41 rating with 1.6 million total viewers. That’s down 15% from its prior season average (and also at a series low), but still not too bad for a cable series in the Peak TV environment. I had expected this show’s sixth season to be announced as it last in advance since fans seemed to have turned against it with all its cast shake-ups the last few years, but that did not happen. Though I would put good money down on the possibility that network execs informed the creative team to approach the current season as its last. It’s not impossible that the show could stick around one more year if it holds near its current ratings levels, but that could likely be it for this spin-off.
Meanwhile, AMC has two new shows in the works plus the movies that will catch up with Rick Grimes. A spin-off series that will focus on Carol and Daryl is planned once the main show wraps up after its extended eleventh season. In addition, an anthology series that will focus on familiar faces from the franchise’s many incarnations plus new characters is also in the works. The three movies that will focus on the former TWD lead are also still moving forward, though they have experienced delays due to the production shutdowns. I had heard that those might play in theaters, but I am thinking it is more likely they will end up airing on AMC. But with the current viewership declines, how much interest is there in these additional projects?
The anthology series is a good idea, and I suggested that the franchise go that direction years ago. The format allows the creative team to go back and look at past characters and/or explore more back story of some of the main (or secondary) characters. It also offers the possibility to explore other parts of the world impacted by the zombie-pocalypse, and the producers would be wise to bring in some well-known horror writers and directors to lend their talents to the show. The anthology format also presents the opportunity to shake up the franchise to some extent and breath new life into it. I believe it could bring back prior viewers that have since tuned out while also sparking the interest of those who have not been following any of the shows.
As for the Carol and Daryl spin-off, I’m not certain if they can get much life from that. Would it just be an extension of the main show’s formula but with a narrowing of the cast? They are two of the most popular characters on the series, but how much mileage can you get from a show following those two considering the lead series they headline has been on a ratings slide going on four years now. If the numbers for TWD continue to decline (and I’m betting they will), don’t be surprised if the Carol and Daryl plans get placed on the limited series track like World Beyond or get rolled into the anthology (maybe every third episode focuses on those two).
The movies should still happen and I don’t believe they will cut back from the three currently planned. Unless of course the first proves to be a disaster and AMC execs decide it’s best to finish telling the Rick Grimes story in the anthology. Beyond that, I really don’t see that there is much appetite for more TWD spin-offs (with the Carol and Daryl show already looking like a stretch). The anthology is a good idea and it could carry the franchise for several more years. But with the Walking Dexit still in full force, this property may only have a few more years of life left in it.
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Cancel everything but TWD, wrap it up in one year, do 2 movies released to Tab and bury this show where it belongs.
FTWD is a disaster with some of the worst writing in tv history. The show runners should be run out of town.