The Walking D*ad: Ranking All Spin-off Series

Since both its debut in 2010 and its end in late 2022, The Walking Dead has spawned a number of spin-offs. This includes the most popular series to date, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live centered around fan-favorite characters Rick Grimes and Michonne.

Some of the spin-offs have hit it out of the park, lasting multiple seasons. The longest-running was Fear the Walking Dead, which came to an end in 2023 after its eighth and final season. Others have recently premiered and already received second season renewals. Every The Walking Dead spin-off has added something to the story, but some have been better than others.

Updated by Christine Persaud on March 20, 2024: This article has been updated to include mention of the latest and most successful spin-off to date, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The gripping tale follows the characters of Rick and Michonne on their journey through survival, romance, and a quest to return back home.

7. The Walking Dead Web Series (2011-2018)

A woman hugging her two children on the couch in a scene from The Walking Dead webisode Torn Apart.

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

7.6/10

The Walking Dead fans will love these TV shows featuring deadly monsters, post-apocalyptic settings, and savvy bands of survivors braving the unknown.

The Walking Dead webisodes were supplementary content more than anything else, designed for The Walking Dead‘s die-hard fans to fill gaps between episodes and seasons. There have been four in total: Torn Apart, released in 2011, Cold Storage (2012), The Oath (2013), and Red Machete. They lasted through the peak seasons of the series, which itself went through ebbs and flows with viewership and storylines in the seasons that followed.

The webisodes were released exclusively online, and each season had multiple episodes. Torn Apart focuses on the backstory of the young girl Rick killed in the very first episode, for example. Cold Storage is about two survivors who meet with a swarm of walkers in a storage facility. The episodes were more fan service than anything else, but still a worthwhile watch for some added, entertaining content.

A man sitting on the roof of a building looking dejected in The Walking Dead webisodes.

A man about to hit a zombie with a brick in The Walking Dead webisodes

A family looking terrified in The Walking Dead webisodes

A young woman holding bloody keys above a gutted walker in The Walking Dead webisodes

A man holding a can, crouched down in The Walking Dead webisodes

6. Tales Of The Walking Dead (2022)

Tales of the Walking Dead

TV-MA

Release DateAugust 14, 2022
CastParker Posey , Anthony Edwards , Terry Crews , Daniella Pineda
Main GenreHorror
Seasons1

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

5.9/10
74%

The biggest departure from the usual tone of The Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead was delivered anthology style with a different story of survivors in the apocalypse for each episode. Each episode also has its own unique tone, from horror to humor. They also star big-name actors, including Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Parker Posey, Samantha Morton (reprising her role from the original in a backstory format), and Anthony Edwards. This is a departure from the relative unknowns who became household names after, for many of them, breakout roles in The Walking Dead.

Because of how each episode differed from the next, the episodes varied in terms of ratings and reviews. Tales of the Walking Dead was a refreshing take on the apocalyptic series but it was still clear that everything existed in the same universe. Nonetheless, some viewers went in expecting a similar tone and were disappointed at the way it diverted from the original.

A man in a black tank top sits in the dark in Tales of the Walking Dead.

A man stands around a corner with a patch on his eye in a scene from Tales of the Walking Dead.

A woman looks at someone in a scene from Tales of the Walking Dead.

Samantha Morton as Dee from Tales of the Walking Dead standing by a window looking upset.

Anthony Edwards with a hiking backpack on in the forest looking at a dead walker in Tales of the Walking Dead.

5. Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020-2021)

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

TV-MA

Release DateOctober 1, 2020
CastJulia Ormond , Nicolas Cantu , Alexa Mansour , Nico Tortorella , Aliyah Royale
Main GenreHorror
Seasons2

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

4.5/10
46%

The Last of Us provides a grim, post-apocalyptic future that is entrancing as it is terrifying.

Despite not being as well received as some of the other spin-offs, only lasting two seasons, Walking Dead: World Beyond serves its purpose well. The series provides a look into the Civic Republic Military (CRM), which, up until that point, had only been mentioned sparingly within the universe. Most notably, it’s the group fans now know who helicoptered Rick to safety thanks to Jadis in his final episode before leaving the original show.

In this spin-off, fans got to see the inner workings of the CRM, Jadis’ role within it, and view the apocalypse from the perspective of teenagers who grew up sheltered from the hellish reality outside the walls of their school. It was the final scene of the series, however, that set up stories to come. It’s the first time fans saw a walker with speed and agility, suggesting the virus was mutating. It also included a cameo from Dr. Edwin Jenner, the CDC virologist who first told Rick that everyone turns, revealing some interesting tidbits of information about the outbreak. It’s a can’t-miss post-credits scene that’s even worth watching on its own. The show, in fact, while generally not well reviewed, provides interesting context that will help fans of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live understand the CRM and events that were occurring at the same time that Rick was residing there.

Silas from The Walking Dead: World Beyond standing in a garage looking worried.

Jadis holds a spear on The Walking Dead: World Beyond

The main characters of The Walking Dead World Beyond stand in a field

Elizabeth Kubrick is surrounded by CRM soldiers from Walking Dead: World Beyond.

Annet Mahendru is Jennifer "Huck" Mallick in The Walking Dead: World Beyond

4. Fear The Walking Dead (2015-2023)

Fear the Walking Dead

TV-MA

A Walking Dead spinoff set in Los Angeles, California, Fear the Walking Dead follows two families who must band together to survive the undead apocalypse.

Release DateAugust 23, 2015
CastLennie James , Mo Collins , Colman Domingo , Alycia Debnam-Carey
Main GenreHorror
Seasons8

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

6.8/10
73%

The most successful The Walking Dead spin-off in terms of length of run, Fear the Walking Dead started out strong and had a long and eventful run. While the series began with an entirely new group of survivors and a new setting of Los Angeles as well as Mexico, the cast changes, premature deaths, and the weirdly diverting storylines were met by disappointment from some fans. This series, however, introduced exciting character crossovers, most notably Morgan Jones, one of The Walking Dead’s original characters.

The odd twists and turns continued, and some fans believe the show overstayed its welcome. Nonetheless, in the beginning, Fear the Walking Dead was compelling for the way it explored the outbreak from before it initially happened versus after it was already well underway. Characters were presented in their pre-apocalypse lives and the intensity built slowly as they realized what was happening and panicked to find a way to survive. From there, they faced unique challenges, traveling by boat, crossing borders, and encountering interesting villains and seemingly safe locations that kept the plot fresh and interesting for much of the show’s run.

Alicia Clark in Fear the Walking Dead finale looking surprised and with a fake arm.

Luciana Galvez talking to Daniel Salazar in Fear the Walking Dead

Victor Strand next to a truck on Fear the Walking Dead

Madison Clark in Fear the Walking Dead holding an axe

Morgan Jones with an axe on Fear the Walking Dead

3. Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023-)

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

TV-MA

Daryl’s journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home.

Release DateOctober 1, 2023
CastNorman Reedus , Gilbert Glenn Brown , Avant Strangel , Adam Nagaitis
Main GenreHorror
Seasons2

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

7.6/10
71%

Featuring the fan-favorite character Daryl Dixon, one of the few who never existed in the comics, Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has already been renewed for a second season. Set in France, where he has mysteriously washed ashore, Daryl faces a whole new set of challenges. With the reveal of Carol joining the show at the end of the first season, and confirmation that season 2 will focus heavily on her journey, die-hard fans of the franchise can’t wait.

While Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is more about Daryl’s fighting and tracking skills, grunts, and disdain for just about everyone and everything, the show has him meeting both new enemies and friends. It also has a The Last of Us vibe as he’s tasked with helping transport a young boy to safety. Fans finally get to see a softer side of Daryl as well, which is worth checking out. With only six episodes, it’s a quick watch.

Daryl hiding around a corner behind a rock in a scene from The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Daryl Dixon walking away from the Nest on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Laurent in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon looking up

Quinn writing in an notebook in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Isabelle in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon standing against a wall looking worried.

2. Walking Dead: Dead City (2023-)

The Walking Dead: Dead City

Maggie and Negan travel into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world.

Release DateJune 1, 2023
CastLauren Cohan , Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Gaius Charles , Michael Anthony
Main GenreHorror
Seasons1

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

7.2/10
80%

Zombie fiction is always in season. Luckily, there are great zombie TV shows like The Last of Us that are perfect for horror fans to devour.

Also already renewed for a second season, fans love the dynamic between Negan and Maggie in the original series, so it made sense to extend this to a spin-off series. Walking Dead: Dead City delivers, further exploring the fractured relationship between the two sworn enemies forced to work together to survive.

Despite all of Negan’s moves to make good for his heinous actions, and the fact that he’s proven time and time again to have become a good guy, Maggie understandably still can’t forgive him for his brutal killing of her husband. Walking Dead: Dead City takes a short time leap and explores the relationship between Maggie and her now teenage son Hershel as well. The show also introduces fascinating new storylines (some of which tie into the old ones) in a new setting with unique challenges and interesting new ways people have learned to survive. Walking Dead: Dead City is the perfect blend of old stories that existing fans will love and new challenges that even viewers new to the franchise will appreciate.

Maggie holding Negan at knife-point on The Walking Dead: Dead City

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) chases down Ginny in TWD: Dead City

Maggie in The Walking Dead - Dead City TV spinoff

The Croat talking to The Dama on The Walking Dead: Dead City

Lisa Emery as The Dama on The Walking Dead: Dead City

1. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (2024-)

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

The love story between Rick and Michonne. Changed by a world that is constantly changing, will they find themselves in a war against the living or will they discover that they too are The Walking Dead?

Release DateFebruary 25, 2024
CastFrankie Quinones , Andrew Lincoln , Danai Gurira , Lesley-Ann Brandt , Pollyanna McIntosh
Main GenreDrama
Seasons1

IMDb Score
Rotten Tomatoes Score

8.7/10
91%

The most successful spin-off to date in terms of both critic and audience reception, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is a fabulous series that answers the question that has been on fans’ minds since Rick left the original series: what happened to him, where has he been, and, most crucially, why didn’t he try to come back home? It also simultaneously tells the story of Michonne’s journey to find him once she became convinced he was still alive and also left the original series a few seasons later. The two paths converge through a series of flashbacks and time jumps, exploding into a tale of survival as well as a touching love story.

Fans have fallen in love with these two characters who were missing from the franchise for so long. The series was a long time coming, initially expected to be a movie but switched to serial format. Along with the two main characters as well as Jadis, the show also features compelling new characters, both villains and heroes. Fans are anxious to discover if there will be crossovers with the other shows. Either way, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is the best spin-off to watch for fans who are missing the original.