The Walking Dead started as one man’s comic book vision. Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels were brash and bold and didn’t back away from violence. When AMC greenlit a TV adaptation, the series came forward with the same mentality. The Walking Dead catapulted zombie fiction onto the small screen and allowed it to explode in front of a historically large cable audience. Fans loved the characters who tried to help, and often hurt, one another in a quest for survival and the ratings were so large that The Walking Dead spinoffs are still being created years later.
Anytime you have seven series in one franchise, some variations will surpass others. AMC has done a decent enough job identifying which characters deserved another chance after the original show. These spinoffs have allowed superfans to indulge in their favorite post-apocalyptic universe for longer than expected. These are the best Walking Dead series, ranked from worst to best.
7. The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020)
The Walking Dead: World Beyond is another spinoff that comes from a good place but needed a lot more tinkering to perfect. It follows a group of teenagers trying to survive the zombified world on their own for the first time. The lack of coherence in the plot and characterization didn’t help the series, nor did the casting choices that pale in comparison to other shows with huge adolescent ensembles like Stranger Things. The series has a 4.5 out of 10 star rating on IMDb . . . not exactly a fan favorite.
6. Tales of the Walking Dead (2022)
Tales of the Walking Dead is an anthology series that uses the aesthetic, atmosphere, and exterior world-building of the original series, but tries to introduce new characters each episode. It only went six episodes and wasn’t renewed for a second season. There’s a lot to appreciate here as far as creativity is concerned, but the execution of the bottle episodes made for an up-and-down experience compared to the parent series. The Last of Us’ beautiful third episode is a better example of taking brand new characters and plopping them into a show’s setting for one episode.
5. The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023)
The Walking Dead: Dead City is where we get into the upper echelon of the franchise’s spinoff efforts. The story follows Negan and Maggie, two of the most glaringly different characters on the show, as they traverse New York and find personal vengeance while trying to maintain a civil partnership (remember that Negan wasn’t exactly kind to Maggie’s family in The Walking Dead original series.) The second season will come out in 2025 and feature new characters and more drama as the cast merges with the depths of Manhattan’s wasteland in new ways.
4. Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
Fear the Walking Dead was the first spinoff in the series and was also the longest running one. It shows the end of the world from the perspective of the people living on the other coast of the United States. There aren’t a lot of differences stylistically between Fear the Walking Dead and its parent show, especially once the writers started incorporating characters from in-universe such as Morgan. The series was a great way for people who wanted more zombies to have a companion to The Walking Dead during the back half of its heyday.
3. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023)
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon was always going to happen. If there was a single spinoff fans could see coming from miles away, it was this one following Norman Reedus’ iconic antihero with a heart of gold as he tries to find the conception point of the zombie apocalypse. The addition of Carol, Daryl’s perfect friend and foil throughout the original series, has made for great TV. Great camerawork and scenery in Europe give this series a nice contrasting look to the Georgian plains that fans are typically presented with in the franchise.
2. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (2024)
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live tells the story of Rick and Michonne meeting back up after the events of The Walking Dead. This spinoff is a great concept, and it was executed very well, from the emotional heft of Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira’s chemistry to the climax that provided closure for two of the franchise’s most beloved characters. The quality of The Ones Who Live left fans wanting another season, but the singularity of the story here means it will probably remain a one-off effort.
1. The Walking Dead (2010)
Make no mistake about it: The Walking Dead is superior to all of its spinoffs. Even if the last several seasons were stale, the first five or so were peak TV that changed the excitement factor for live-action viewing of a serial series. There were so many things that made this show special when it was in its prime. The makeup and special effects departments were the ones that got the most critical recognition, but the acting and writing were also fantastic.
Standouts such as Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, and David Morrissey pushed the series into a territory many thought it didn’t belong in. Zombie fiction didn’t get a lot of respect before The Walking Dead. Because of this show, apocalypse series are now on par with many other types of dramas.
