Future Directions for The Walking Dead: Lessons from The Ones Who Live
William Smith
Updated on May 17, 2026
By Published Apr 25, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek.
Craig is an approved critic on .
LinkedIn: follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
has been a TV staple since 2010, beginning with the main series based on Robert Kirkman's acclaimed comic books, then splintering into multiple spinoffs, each with their own flavors and casts. Despite releasing a mountain of content over the past 15 years or so, The Walking Dead appears to be gradually slowing its advance.
A is coming, and at least one more season of Dead City. Despite rumblings of possibly getting more episodes of The Ones Who Live and Tales of the Walking Dead, however, nothing further has been officially announced, putting The Walking Dead dangerously close to a permanent end. That would be less than ideal, since plenty of storylines and character arcs from across the franchise remain unresolved. From Daryl and Rick's reunion to the Designation 2 mystery, there's zero chance The Walking Dead can wrap everything up within the two seasons AMC currently has in the works.
The best future for The Walking Dead can be found by looking toward the best of its various spinoffs. Every series has its strengths, whether that be Daryl Dixon's stunning European locations or , but the strongest entry in the franchise would be The Ones Who Live, starring Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes and Danai Gurira's Michonne.
Currently the highest-rated The Walking Dead offering on Rotten Tomatoes with 88%, The Ones Who Live dressed the show's undead shenanigans in the clothes of a spy thriller, while also retaining a surprising amount of humor and romance. The fourth episode, directed by Gurira herself, stands among the best things The Walking Dead has done in any of its shows, centering entirely on Rick and Michonne resolving their issues in a close-quarters, high-intensity situation.
The Lessons A New Walking Dead Show Must Learn From The Ones Who Live
One of the biggest reasons behind The Ones Who Live's success was its strong continuity with the main show. Spinoffs in The Walking Dead's world tend to be almost standalone in nature: Fear the Walking Dead had a different cast, World Beyond was pitched at a younger audience, Daryl Dixon is set in another country, and Dead City makes a deliberate effort to remove itself from the .
The Ones Who Live is the only spinoff that truly embraces its roots, continuing storylines from the original series such as Rick's disappearance, the Civic Republic Military, and Gabriel's romance with Jadis. The Ones Who Live was effectively The Walking Dead season 12, resolving loose ends and bringing back multiple main cast members. The positivity surrounding Rick and Michonne's solo series suggests viewers prefer treading the path The Walking Dead was already on rather than taking unrelated detours.
The second major strength of The Ones Who Live was maintaining the tone and spirit of The Walking Dead, but refining the formula into a more potent version of itself. Most contained upward of 15 episodes, which created a recurring issue with pacing, as characters hemmed and hawed their way through dilemmas slower than the undead themselves. Clocking in at a brisk six episodes, The Ones Who Live was The Walking Dead without the filler, hence the more enthusiastic reaction.
Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Walking Dead insights
Want clear takes on where The Walking Dead should go next? Subscribe to the newsletter for concise analysis, character arc tracking, and spinoff recommendations that help fans understand what matters in the franchise. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our and . You can unsubscribe anytime.
After The Ones Who Live, it's clear that The Walking Dead's future needs a show that directly continues the main storyline of the original series and brings back as many familiar cast members as possible, but does so within a more streamlined format, putting emphasis on quality over quantity, and adopting a modern streaming format instead of the traditional network/cable format. More side-quest spinoffs starring individual characters or new ensembles at this juncture would be missing the point of why interest in The Walking Dead as a franchise still exists.
Expand Collapse
Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now
