Summary
- The Walking Dead spinoffs have had varying success, with some being forgettable and others expanding the universe effectively.
- Spinoffs like age and Flight 462 offer unique storylines but lack the depth and impact of the main show and other spinoffs.
- World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, and Dead City provide exciting developments and interesting characters, while Fear the Walking Dead is the best spinoff overall.
The Walking Dead has introduced many spinoffs over the years, with some becoming popular series and others scoring low ratings due to poor character development and dull storylines. The main show that birthed the entire franchise will always be the winner, but that doesn't mean The Walking Dead spinoffs didn't do a good job of expanding its universe and showing audiences other survivors, variant zombies, and communities in an increasingly dead world. Although the franchise has had countless successes throughout its lifetime, there have been failed projects too, some of which are long forgotten and buried in the ground.
As The Walking Dead continues to branch out with series focused on popular characters like Daryl, Rick, and Michonne, it's worth rewatching some of the spinoffs that contributed to the current storyline and series. Spinoffs that rank low on the list of The Walking Dead's creations should remain in the dust and give way to shows with characters and backstories that hook audiences in with a single episode. All seven Walking Dead spinoffs have franchise potential, but some are just better than others.
7 age
Fear the Walking Dead: age has the lowest ranking on this list because it's easily forgettable among other successes in the franchise. age follows two survivors traveling through underground tunnels to reach Mexico, with the story told through a 16-part web series that audiences can watch in just 15 minutes. This short-form series was played in between commercial breaks of The Walking Dead season 7 to keep audiences engaged every Sunday. Although this seemed like a unique idea at the time, fans of the franchise could easily forget about the characters who didn't get enough screen time to be fully fleshed out.
Creators Lauren Signorino & Mike Zunic wanted to introduce more characters to increase interest in Fear the Walking Dead's timeline. Gabi and Sierra, the two protagonists who meet and travel to a refugee camp, face several zombie and human threats that make their journey more challenging. age is worth watching if audiences have spare time to experience the miniseries and understand more about the universe. However, it doesn't hold a candle to the other Walking Dead spinoffs on this list.
6 Flight 462
Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462 is another spinoff with connections to a different Walking Dead show, feeding into the Fear the Walking Dead season 2 timeline, when the characters eventually meet Madison and her family on the boat. Similar to age, this miniseries plays out over 16 episodes that are only one minute each, making it another short watch that can easily be forgotten. However, Flight 462 builds on a more interesting concept, with the story taking place on a plane as the outbreak began. It introduces characters like Jake and Alex, two of the main survivors who meet the gang in Fear the Walking Dead.
Although Flight 462 had its moment to shine in 2015 when directly crossing over into Fear the Walking Dead, it doesn't provide anything that makes it worth watching again. Regardless, the idea of being on a plane with zombies is terrifying, and the creators did a great job of capturing the panic and claustrophobic feeling of being unable to escape. Audiences who have recently started watching Fear the Walking Dead can give Flight 462 a watch to understand how and why the plane survivors play a role in season 2.
5 Dead In The Water
Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water is a spinoff created to promote Fear the Walking Dead season 7. Written by Jacob Pinion and directed by Kenneth Requa, this prequel features a submarine crew experiencing the start of the apocalypse completely cut off from the surface. Dead in the Water gives Jason Riley (a villain appearing later in Fear the Walking Dead) his own backstory. He's stuck on the USS Pennsylvania as crew become zombified by the minute. Spinoffs that provide extra character development are the Walking Dead spinoffs audiences want to see, as it's easier to feel connected to what's happening.
Dead in the Water has relatively short episodes that range from 5 to 10 minutes, but despite their short length, they don't fail to build tension when a crew member dies and reanimates, wreaking havoc on the remaining survivors. Even though this spinoff is worth watching to better understand Fear the Walking Dead, it still doesn't hold enough power to rank higher on this list.
4 Walking Dead: World Beyond
The Walking Dead: World Beyond is when the spinoffs start getting interesting and more consistent. World Beyond sheds light on the show's universe, with intriguing zombie experiments, subtle hints at Rick's whereabouts, and a post-credit scene ing Walking Dead's immunity theories. This show spans two seasons and focuses on four teenage protagonists who embark on a journey to a research facility located in New York. Antagonists like the Civil Republic Military (CRM) are also introduced as a corrupt organization seeking power by destroying and controlling other civilizations. It's already been confirmed through trailers that the CRM will have a bigger role to play in Rick's spinoff.
World Beyond is an exciting spinoff that finally gives audiences further development of the Walking Dead universe, whether it's learning about a potential cure for the zombie virus or seeing another evil organization gain enough power to harm innocent communities. Such excitement created by a spinoff deserves a firm place on this list, and it's well worth a watch to understand how the CRM could factor into Walking Dead spinoffs.
3 Tales Of The Walking Dead
Tales of the Walking Dead is an anthology television series that focuses on new and existing Walking Dead characters. Featuring six full-length episodes, audiences learn more about players like Alpha, who was once an ordinary woman doing everything she could to protect her child, Lydia. Understanding her transformation into Alpha makes for an interesting storyline. Other episodes are more experimental in of their storylines, with some characters hallucinating talking zombies and others discovering serial killers along their journey to survival. The creative and twisted nature of this spinoff sets it apart from other Walking Dead shows and makes it ideal to rewatch.
2 Walking Dead: Dead City
The Walking Dead: Dead City is one of the best spinoffs, as audiences finally see Maggie and Negan in action again. The pair go through many ups and downs, from Maggie showing hints of forgiveness to unleashing her full rage when she has to betray the man who helped get her son back from the Croat. Maggie betraying Negan in the Dead City finale takes the cake when it comes to a good plot twist. That makes this spinoff even more exciting for audiences who have grown to love Maggie and Negan throughout The Walking Dead.
The tension between the protagonists mixed with the intense action scenes make this spinoff successful. And because it won over audiences with its first season, Dead City has even been renewed for season 2. Dead City doesn't fail to bring back the nostalgia of the main show while introducing more unique characters that could appear in spinoffs.
1 Fear The Walking Dead
Fear the Walking Dead is undoubtedly the best of the Walking Dead spinoffs. Although it comes to an end soon with its eighth and final season, it will always provide the action, characters, and backstories audiences need to experience a drama-filled apocalypse on the small screen. Fear the Walking Dead introduces the main group of characters before the outbreak began, giving audiences the chance to see the world before it was overrun by the dead. As things slowly spiral out of control, these characters must find a new home by traveling across borders. They encounter dangerous humans along the way, similar to what happens in the main show.
Fear the Walking Dead also delves into the potential immunity theory and crosses over into The Walking Dead when characters like Morgan and Dwight the team. Watching all of Fear the Walking Dead's seasons won't be a waste of time, as this top-ranked spinoff sets up the future of The Walking Dead franchise by introducing unforgettable characters and plot twists.