Picture: AMC
Thanks to a new deal, a whole lot of AMC shows are landing on Netflix. This includes most of The Walking Dead Universe. With hundreds of episodes across the main show and numerous spinoff projects, getting invested in AMC’s zombie apocalypse drama can be daunting. Here’s our definitive watching guide for The Walking Dead, when they’re coming to Netflix, and more.
Based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead was the biggest cable show in the world for several years running. Its fanbase is legion. Even today, after the conclusion of the mothership show, AMC continues to invest heavily in the franchise’s future. With shows set in France and post-apocalyptic Manhattan, now is a fantastic time to be a Walking Dead fan. And now that AMC has set a deal with Netflix to license shows, the series is more accessible to our readers than ever.
So, where do you begin if you want to start with The Walking Dead? Well, if you’re a complete newcomer to the franchise, we recommend watching the series in release order. Chronological order is a fantastic way for returning viewers to experience the franchise. However, if you’re starting out, watching chronologically will leave you confused more often than not — you’d be starting with spinoff Fear the Walking Dead, for instance. So, let’s keep things (relatively) simplistic.
Which The Walking Dead shows are coming to Netflix?
Picture: AMC
With The Walking Dead, AMC has created one of the largest, most sprawling ‘cinematic universes’ in the industry. That’s even rivaling the Arrowverse, much of which is on Netflix.
There are seven shows in total: The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
To put that into numbers, that’s 25 seasons and over 330 individual episodes. However, not every series is coming to Netflix in the US.
All eleven seasons of the main show are already streaming on Netflix in the US. Those 11 seasons will remain on Netflix through 2027.
Coming to Netflix on August 19th is the entire Fear the Walking Dead collection and Daryl Dixon season 1.
A few months later on January 13, 2025, both Dead City and The Ones Who Live will land on Netflix.
This deal omits spinoffs World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead. But to be completely honest, those two shows are the least necessary to watch.
How to watch The Walking Dead in release order
By watching the series in release order, you’ll occasionally be jumping up and down the timeline, but trust me, this way is better than not understanding cameos and character motivations if you were to experience the series chronologically.
For example, Fear The Walking Dead takes place before season 2 of The Walking Dead, right at the outbreak of the apocalypse. But then, after season 3, Fear takes a 6-month time-jump, putting it level with season 8 of The Walking Dead, and that’s where the crossovers begin. Given the number of time jumps and crossovers, release order allows you the best possible understanding of the story. Here’s the release order, from its humble beginnings in 2010 to the most recent The Ones Who Live:
- The Walking Dead S1
- The Walking Dead S2
- The Walking Dead S3
- The Walking Dead S4
- The Walking Dead S5
- Fear the Walking Dead S1
- The Walking Dead S6
- Fear the Walking Dead S2
- The Walking Dead S7
- Fear the Walking Dead S3
- The Walking Dead S8
- Fear the Walking Dead S4
- The Walking Dead S9
- Fear the Walking Dead S5
- The Walking Dead S10
- The Walking Dead: World Beyond S1
- Fear the Walking Dead S6
- The Walking Dead S11
- The Walking Dead: World Beyond S2
- Fear the Walking Dead S7
- Tales of The Walking Dead
- Fear the Walking Dead S8
- The Walking Dead: Dead City
- The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
- The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
This deal comes at a good time for The Walking Dead fans. AMC continues to grow and develop the franchise. Daryl Dixon season 2, “The Book of Carol,” will premiere later this year. Plus, Dead City season 2 is expected to air sometime in 2025, though no release date has been set.
Which other AMC shows are coming to Netflix?
The deal won’t just see The Walking Dead shows find a new home at Netflix. Several other coveted AMC shows are landing on the streamer too. These include:
- Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
- Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
- Monsieur Spade
- A Discovery of Witches
- Dark Winds
- Gangs of London
- Into the Badlands
- Kevin Can F*** Himself
- Preacher
- That Dirty Black Bag
- The Terror
This isn’t the first time Netflix has licensed AMC shows. Most notably, both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul had immense success on Netflix—so much so that Netflix even made a sequel film, El Camino. Will The Walking Dead share this success? Only time will tell.
