The Walking Dead: When will the series return?

The Walking Dead and its offshoots are in for potential delays due to the ongoing effects of the Coronavirus. Here’s what we know.

As 2020 wears on, with an East-Coast heatwave that would make Rod Serling sigh in resignation, and a social climate that’s drawing increased parallels to The Crazies, it almost seems fitting that television and film production is now stuck in its own surreal limbo. The Walking Dead is starting to feel less like fiction and more like our day-to-day reality.

Many films and TV shows have halted production or experienced delayed releases due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19. While The Walking Dead had a lot in store for fans of the original series and its offshoots, the 2020 outlook isn’t promising for those looking to get their zombie fix.

Based on the information available, Forbes writer Paul Tassi recently speculated on the trajectories of The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and the forthcoming World Beyond, given the state of affairs in the U.S. (where the series are filmed).

As Tassi puts it, “a zombie series with hordes and fight scenes is not exactly something you can film with social distancing.”

That said, there is a potential bright spot on the schedule for those who live and die by AMC’s ratings flagship, including the finale for Season 10 of The Walking Dead:

"“Post-production work on this single episode was not finished…[but] the date of the finale will be announced soon, as it appears they have found a work from home solution to finish at least this one episode.”"

The status of World Beyond and Season 6 of Fear the Walking Dead… seems less certain, with the former potentially seeing release before year’s end (“if it’s only post-production work that needs to be finished, not filming”) and the latter “interrupted in the middle of filming…[which] has not resumed yet.”

What of the main series, though – which built the foundation of fans that allowed these offshoots to coalesce for more zombified mayhem? Unfortunately, the prospects for Season 11 don’t seem promising at this juncture:

"“[It] was scheduled to start filming months ago…[but] no one seems to know when a start date will be, given the current situation. Out of every show listed, it is the least likely that TWD proper will arrive in 2020…“"

Over the course of the pandemic, I’ve talked to horror fans who are taking this “forced staycation” as an opportunity to catch up on series they’ve missed over the years (the streaming options seem limitless). And there’s also the option to revisit TWD and Fear the…, with 15 seasons between them at present.

Are you looking forward to The Walking Dead Season 10 finale? Let us know in the comments.