The Walking Dead debuted on AMC nearly a decade ago, and in the years since it hit the airwaves, it’s managed to amass a massive fanbase, which is no small feat given that we’re living in a time where the entertainment landscape is already overflowing with zombies.
But to the surprise of many, the comic book series that TWD is adapted from came to an end not too long ago, leading many to wonder if perhaps AMC may be getting ready to pull the plug on the television show as well. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The network firmly believes that there’s still a lot of life left in The Walking Dead and to prove it, they’ve officially renewed the show for an eleventh season, announcing the news at New York Comic-Con earlier today.
“The Walking Dead burst out of the gate ten years ago as a genre show that had all the character depth of a top-tier prestige drama,” said Sarah Barnett, President of AMC Networks Entertainment Group & AMC Studios. “And now ten years later – led by the brilliant Angela Kang and fueled by one of the most consistently talented casts in television – this phenomenon is flourishing creatively, with critics and audiences embracing its reset. We’re delighted to welcome back Lauren Cohan, she has meant so much to this show and its passionate, global fanbase, who are in for a fantastic ride over the coming months.”
Though definitely exciting, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, AMC has assured fans many times in the past that TWD is still in the early stages of its life. And while we can’t imagine The Walking Dead running for too much longer (maybe 3 or 4 more seasons, at most), the franchise itself is certainly here for the long run.
We’ve got Fear the Walking Dead still going strong, while fans can also look forward to that upcoming youth-oriented spinoff and Andrew Lincoln’s movie trilogy, both of which make it clear that the property is starting to evolve beyond the central show that kicked it off.
But staying in the here and now, The Walking Dead begins its tenth season tomorrow night on AMC, and fans can rest easy going into the premiere knowing that the show will be returning for at least one more run (and likely several more) after this upcoming one concludes in 2020.