It might seem like zombies are half-dead on TV too. However, they are just reproducing and spreading. Although it has only been five years, it seems like a century ago when, in its fifth season, The Walking Dead It was watched every week by an average of 15.78 million viewers in the United States. At that time, it was the most watched series on all of American television, despite being broadcast on a pay-TV channel. Since then, the audience drop has been notable. The tenth season left the airwaves on April 5 without having finished filming (suspended due to the general halt in the production of television fiction due to the coronavirus) and with an average of 5.4 million viewers. Even so, it remains the most watched drama on cable television in the US and, in the last two seasons, thanks to changes in its plots, it has regained the favor of part of the critics. In addition, the performance it offers in the rest of the world (in Spain it is broadcast on Fox with good audience data for the pay-TV channel) confirms that its end is not yet near.
That’s what AMC, its original network, is thinking, still willing to continue exploiting a vein that seems to have no end in sight. In October, three series belonging to the universe created by Robert Kirkman in the comics of the same name will coincide on the schedule. Although the original plan was for each one to walk alone, without coinciding dates, the pandemic and the changes it has brought about have caused this conjunction of zombies.
The last chapter of the unfinished 10th season of The Walking Dead will be seen on October 4 (Monday 5 in Spain on Fox). Titled A certain destinythe season finale will show the confrontation between Beta’s army and the other groups of survivors, as seen in the trailer shown by the network at Comic Con last month. In addition, it will mark the already announced return of actress Lauren Cohan as Maggie after her departure two years ago to pursue other projects. The network has granted six extra episodes to this unusual installment, but they will not air until 2021. The content of these chapters has not been clarified, although, according to those responsible, it will continue the story of the series. The 11th season, already confirmed, will begin filming in 2021, with no broadcast date yet.
That same day a new series derived from that apocalyptic universe will premiere, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Its premiere, which was originally scheduled for last April, was put on hold due to the pandemic, and has finally been moved to October 5. AMC will premiere in Spain (10/22) a production that looks at the first generation of survivors and is aimed at young audiences. Two sisters and their friends leave the safety of their home to face the dangers of the walker invasion on a journey that will make them mature and go on adventures. In principle, the plan is for this second spin-off series of The Walking Dead has only two seasons of 10 chapters each.
A week later, on October 12, the sixth season of Fear the Walking Dead (23.00). Although it is usually broadcast in the summer, taking advantage of the break between seasons of the main story, this year it has also altered its plans due to the health crisis and has ended up being set in the autumn. Its audience figures have also been deflating, going from the 6.86 million who watched the first season on average to the 1,510,000 who watched the fifth batch of episodes. However, the loyalty of its followers and the profitability it offers continue to compensate the network for keeping this family drama alive, set in the times when the zombie infection was still spreading.
Although it may seem that the universe of The Walking Dead It is already sufficiently exploited with these proposals (in addition to Talking Deada program that is broadcast in the United States after the broadcast of each episode and in which what happened in it is commented), its creators do not think the same. In addition to these three series, three films are in preparation that will focus on what happened to Rick Grimes (protagonist of The Walking Dead until last season and played by actor Andrew Lincoln) after he disappeared aboard a helicopter.
Meanwhile, the series has also been in the news this summer for a ruling that ruled in favor of the AMC network against Robert Kirkman and three other producers who were demanding higher financial benefits. The producers claimed that they had only received benefits for two of the 10 years that the series has been on the air and that the network promised them a fair deal but has not kept its promise. This has put an end to a legal battle that has lasted three years. But it is not the only one in which the series is immersed. The Walking Dead. Director Frank Darabont, the show’s first director, was fired in the second season, after which he sued the network. In 2018, he claimed benefits that he claimed had not been paid, requesting compensation of around 240 million euros. His case is still pending a ruling.
