The Walking Dead was a long-running post-apocalyptic horror show that ran on AMC for 11 seasons from 2010 to 2022 and spawned multiple spinoff series, many of which are still ongoing. As such, The Walking Dead universe has grown into something vast, full of colorful characters and plenty of frights.
But for those who enjoy the show and also want to take a break from it and check out something a little different, I highly recommend watching some of the series on this list. Many of them stand apart from The Walking Dead with their emphasis on terror rather than the more action-oriented AMC show.
From
The "monsters" at the heart of From haven't been defined as any definitive sort of creature yet, but they do act and appear somewhat similar to zombies. Where From excels as a horror show is in the way it builds suspense and interweaving mysteries. It's kind of like the horror version of Lost, where a bunch of people become stranded in a random small town rather than on a deserted island.
There, they discover that every night, monsters prowl the streets and if you don't have a special talisman on your door they can enter your home and kill you. Across three seasons, the show has started to reveal some of its secrets, becoming a very addictive watch. A fourth season is in development.
All of Us Are Dead
This Korean coming-of-age horror show about zombies overrunning a high school and targeting a bunch of teenagers became an instant hit for Netflix when it debuted in 2022. It's a shame its taken so long to get a second season, but rest assured it will reportedly be released in 2026.
All of Us Are Dead reminds me a little bit of the early seasons of The Walking Dead, when the zombies felt like a more palpable threat. The terror feels more visceral and immediate. We also learn straight away where the monsters came from, an experiment gone wrong.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is a more compelling zombie show in that it is more focused on telling a specific story and it really hones in on its characters and what they're facing. It's an intimate story based on the acclaimed video games of the same name. The first season was Emmy nominated and season will premiere this April. If you're looking for something that's more focused and better written than The Walking Dead, this HBO show is a great choice.
Black Summer
Black Summer might be a controversial edition to this list, especially because it was canceled after just two short seasons and it is a spinoff of another zombie show (Z Nation), but I thought the gritty and grounded sense of reality present in this show really made it out stand out. It also has fantastic, heart-pounding action sequences that make it truly compelling television.
Kingdom
The zombies in this Korean show are flat out terrifying. Kingdom also has fantastic world-building and performances from its cast. The series has been praised as being like a horror version of Game of Thrones, dealing with politics between violent outbursts. Set in the 17th century, Kingdom follows a Crown Prince trying to handle his constituents and maintain a kingdom whilst in the midst of a horrific epidemic.