“The Walking Dead” is arguably one of the most recognizable pieces of media in the most recent years. Premiering in 2010, “The Walking Dead” quickly cemented itself into pop culture. It recently had a resurgence in popularity on TikTok. Running for 11 seasons, the show had its ups and downs in favorability among the general public.
The show ended last November after a long run of 12 years on air. However, “The Walking Dead” franchise is far from over. “Dead City” premiered in June of this year, and follows two main characters from the original TV series, Negan Smith and Maggie Greene.
Rumors of the spinoff came out before “The Walking Dead” ended and many people, myself included, were skeptical of it. After all, “The Walking Dead” ended; why extend it into another show? To my great dismay, “Dead City” isn’t the only spinoff of “The Walking Dead,” there are two more on the way.
The spinoffs were originally planned as a set of three movies but quickly turned into a series after the pandemic. “The Ones Who Live” follows series favorites Rick and Michonne Grimes. Set to be released in 2024, this spinoff has been in the works for a long time. In contrast, the spinoff that came out of nowhere is the “Daryl Dixon” series, which follows the character of the same name and is premiering Sunday, Sept. 10.
All of these spinoffs raise an important question: When is it time for a series to actually end? I would consider myself a huge “Walking Dead” fan. I’ve been watching it for as long as I can remember. In an ideal world, I wouldn’t want the show to end, but as much as I would love to watch my favorite characters live out their lives, I can recognize that there is a point when a show has run its course. This fact became glaringly obvious after Andrew Lincoln, who plays the main character of the show Rick Grimes, left the show in season nine. After that, the show felt like it was running on borrowed time. Cluttered storylines and new characters that you just can't get attached to are just a few of the many faults of recent seasons.
The trend of remakes has been one that has taken over movie theaters. Almost every beloved childhood movie has a remake or one in the works, and spinoffs are no different. Although it’s not remaking the original series, it's expanding unnecessarily on a series that should have ended years ago. While these spinoffs are clearly a desperate attempt at fan service, they fall flat. It bloats the characters and creates infuriating mischaracterizations.
I experienced this anger firsthand when “Dead City'' came out. I watched it every week and I found myself getting more annoyed with every new episode. Sure, some of the visuals of an overrun New York were interesting, but that's it. I couldn’t connect with the newly introduced characters, and the way the writers treated the characters from the original series felt shallow and drifted so far from their original motivations. The six episodes released felt uninspired and disappointing.
As someone who has been a fan for so long, seeing these spinoffs feels cheap and lazy. As much as I don't want to admit it, the series has run its course. Trying to desperately hold onto a series that has been plummeting for years is a lost cause.
We can step back and look at a series or movie and recognize that it's good as it is and that it doesn’t need a million sequels or three spinoff shows. “The Walking Dead” was a great series that so many fans hold dear, but it ended, and we should put it to rest before the spinoffs dilute the original to something unrecognizable.
Haylee Leasure is a sophomore studying journalism. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk about the column? Email Haylee at hl125421@ohio.edu.
