Fear the Walking Dead

Did You Know?

• The first three seasons are set in Los Angeles and later Mexico, following a blended family at the onset of the zombie apocalypse.
• Beginning in the fourth season, the series shifts focus toward Morgan Jones, a character from the original series, in Texas.
• The series debuted simultaneously worldwide on AMC, AMC Global, and FX in Australia.

Production

In September 2013, AMC announced they were developing a companion series to The Walking Dead, following a different set of characters created by Robert Kirkman. A pilot was ordered in September 2014, written by Kirkman and Dave Erickson and directed by Adam Davidson, with executive producers Kirkman, Erickson, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert; Erickson served as showrunner. The project was originally known as Cobalt, and in March 2015 Kirkman confirmed the title Fear the Walking Dead.

On March 9, 2015, AMC ordered the series with a two-season commitment. The series premiered on August 23, 2015. In December 2014, the first four starring roles were cast: Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa, Frank Dillane as Nick, and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia. Elizabeth Rodriguez and Mercedes Mason were announced as series regulars in April and May 2015.

Colman Domingo was promoted to series regular in December 2015. In March 2017, Daniel Sharman joined as a series regular, and in April 2017 Dayton Callie, Sam Underwood, and Lisandra Tena joined. In November 2017, Lennie James, who portrays Morgan Jones on The Walking Dead, was confirmed to cross over and join the main cast in the fourth season. The fourth season also added Garret Dillahunt, Jenna Elfman, and Maggie Grace as series regulars.

Rubén Blades returned in the fifth season as Daniel Salazar, and Austin Amelio joined as Dwight. Karen David joined the main cast for the fifth season as Grace. In December 2019, Zoe Colletti joined for the sixth season as Dakota, and Mo Collins and Colby Hollman were promoted to series regulars. In December 2021, Kim Dickens was announced to return as Madison Clark in the seventh season.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 76% based on 206 reviews, with an average rating of 6.75/10; the critical consensus reads, 'Fear the Walking Dead recycles elements of its predecessor, but it's still moody and engrossing enough to compete with the original.' On Metacritic, the season has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'. Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post rated the first two episodes three out of four stars, stating they 'are creepily suspenseful'.

Ken Tucker of Yahoo TV wrote that the series is 'a mood piece, more artful than the original series' with a 'terrific' cast. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the first two episodes are 'less magnetic than the original'. Daniel Fienberg of HitFix called the premiere 'awful', while Alan Sepinwall gave it a B−. The second season has a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 223 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10; the critical consensus reads, 'Fear the Walking Dead sets sail in its sophomore season with an intriguing backdrop that doesn't always disguise its deficiencies.'

On Metacritic, the season has a score of 54 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating 'mixed or average reviews'. The third season has an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 110 reviews, with an average rating of 7.25/10; the critical consensus reads, 'A distinctive ensemble brings a compelling flavor of Fear the Walking Dead mythos, but this ambitious spinoff still shares its originator's penchant longwinded pacing.' Matt Fowler of IGN gave it an 8.2 out of 10, writing that the series 'more solidly found its tone and voice this season' and is now 'a better series overall than The Walking Dead'.

Web series

Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462, a 16-part web series, premiered on October 4, 2015, on AMC.com and aired as promos during The Walking Dead season 6. Two of its characters, Alex and Jake, appear in Fear the Walking Dead season 2, episode 3. A second 16-part web series debuted on October 17, 2016, following Sierra and Gabi, written by Lauren Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by Andrew Bernstein. A six-part web series was released from July 27 to August 8, 2019, featuring Althea interviewing survivors. In March 2021, AMC announced Dead in the Water: A Fear the Walking Dead Story, set aboard USS Pennsylvania SSBN-735, starring Nick Stahl as Jason Riley; it premiered on AMC+ on April 10, 2022.

Home media

The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 1, 2015, by Starz through Anchor Bay Entertainment. A special edition followed on March 22, 2016, with deleted scenes, featurettes, and audio commentaries. The second season was released on December 13, 2016, the third on March 13, 2018, the fourth on March 5, 2019, the fifth on May 19, 2020, the sixth on August 31, 2021, the seventh on January 10, 2023, and the eighth and final season on February 27, 2024. The complete series was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 15, 2024.