The Walking Dead’s long-term future is far from clear, but I’m convinced this is what the franchise’s 2026 should look like. AMC has been droppingThe Walking Deadcontent on a conveyor belt since 2010, continuing to do so even after the main show ended.The Walking Deadseason 11’s finalewas followed by a trio of spinoffs -Dead City,Daryl Dixon, andThe Ones Who Live- and while those new shows guaranteed the franchise’s future back in 2022, the upcoming three years look decidedly less assured.
The Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 2is next on the schedule, and will be swiftly followed byDaryl Dixonseason 3, with both spinoffs confirmed to arrive in 2025. What comes next remains a mystery. With no new shows announced and future seasons of existing spinoffs not yet green-lit,The Walking Deadcurrently has nothing lined up - publicly, at least - for 2026, marking a concerning shift compared to the days when it felt like a new project was entering development every other week. Assuming AMC’s zombie apocalypse continues into 2026, however, this is the project that needs to happen next.
The Walking Dead’s next project afterDaryl Dixonseason 3 should take the form of a crossover event that brings together characters from across the franchise. The amount of teases, hints, andunresolved stories accumulated fromThe Walking Dead’s various shows has reached a tipping pointthat can no longer be ignored. Resolution is needed, and the best way to do that is through a crossover that incorporates the most important characters from each show.
Bringing the whole gang together in a crossover would be the easiest way to finally deliver upon all of those narrative promises.
The Walking Deadseason 11 mentioned a new villain group called Designation 2that has yet to be formally introduced, while also raising questions over the arrival (or, indeed, the return) of zombie variants.Fear the Walking Dead’s endingset up Morgan returning to the main group, with other survivors like Madison and Alicia Clark potentially joining him at Alexandria.World Beyonddropped groundbreaking revelations about howThe Walking Dead’s zombie outbreakstarted, so must now explain what Primrose Team is, why the virus was developed, and whether the Bennett family’s fungi weapon can end the undead for good.
Daryl Dixon still needs a Rick Grimes reunion and resolution over his teased romance with Connie,the “PPP” mystery present in both the main show andTales of the Walking Deadneeds addressing, andThe Ones Who Liverevealed the CRM’s scientific predictionthat humanity only has 14 years left to survive - a huge bombshell that affects everyone inThe Walking Dead’s universe.
Rick Grimes' Spinoff Ending Made A Future Walking Dead Crossover Way More Likely
The conclusion of Rick Grimes' spinoff set the protagonist up for a permanent return, making the chances of a Walking Dead crossover much more likely.
The Walking Deadhas spent more than five years providing questions faster than answers, and that pile will inevitably grow larger onceDead Cityseason 2 andDaryl Dixonseason 3 land. Bringing the whole gang together in a crossover would be the easiest way to finally deliver upon all of those narrative promises, and the wait has gone on long enough. Now already feels like a natural time to unite the franchise’s heroes, and after 2025’s releases, a crossover will become impossible forThe Walking Deadto keep dodging indefinitely.
Each ofThe Walking Dead’s various TV shows brings something worthwhile to the franchise, but the overall shared universe suffers from a feeling of disconnection. Thus far, a clue or tease in one show has generally been ignored by the next. AfterFear the Walking Deadended with Morgan resolving to seek out Rick Grimes,it was widely believed that Lennie James' character would be involved inThe Ones Who Live. That prediction was ultimately disproved. WhenWorld Beyondrevealed the zombie outbreak began in France, it seemed thatDaryl Dixonbeing set in France would mean tackling the fallout of that massive reveal. This prediction was also proved wrong.
The list of similar examples goes on - instances where one show inThe Walking Dead’s arsenal readies a bullet that the next release simply decides not to fire.It often feels like different areas ofThe Walking Deadaren’t communicating, but the entire purpose of turning a franchise into a shared universe - which is undoubtedly what AMC’s “The Walking Dead Universe” presents itself as - is crafting those interconnected stories and allowing viewers to invest in an expansive story told across multiple different projects.
Daryl Dixon
The Ones Who Live
The soonerThe Walking Deadpushes ahead with its crossover plans and fires off all the narrative rounds previous spinoffs opted not to, the sooner those spinoffs can thrive in isolation without being hampered by false expectations and unresolved hints. As an example,Gabriel’s cameo inThe Ones Who Livewould have packed way more punch ifThe Walking Deadhadn’t already planted the seed that Morgan would appear instead.
The other reasonThe Walking Deadshould choose the crossover route in favor of creating new spinoffs is that the spinoff well is almost dry. After Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Negan, and Morgan,all of the main show’s biggest names already have a starring credit in a spinoff venture. With all due respect to Josh McDermitt and his consistently compelling performance since joiningThe Walking Dead, a Eugene spinoff would not be the most exciting continuation, and the same can be said of virtually every other protagonist still alive when season 11 concluded. Shows focusing on Gabriel or Ezekiel could potentially work, but still have no obvious raison d’etre or story direction.
The Walking Dead Crossover Plans Now Face A Huge Obstacle Thanks To Rick Grimes
Although Rick Grimes' return to The Walking Dead franchise proved to be successful, it did create one major issue with a potential crossover show.
Without viable alternatives for new shows,The Walking Dead’s best bet for 2026 would be a return to the ensemble format that made the series famous in the first place. The crossover could then be used as a launchpad for a new generation of survivors that forms the basis of a fresh show.
AWalking Deadcrossover happening in 2026 would not hinder the development of AMC’s existing spinoffs in any measurable way. WithDead Cityseason 2 chronicling Maggie’s mission to rescue Negan, that particular project already feels like an isolated two-part narrative, negating the need for season 3 to happen at all. Even if Daryl and Carol return home to take part in 2026’s crossover afterDaryl Dixonseason 3, they could still set off on another adventure thereafter, meaningDaryl Dixonseason 4 would remain on the table.
A 2026 crossover could only be considered a positive thing.
There is currently no word on whetherThe Ones Who Liveseason 2will happen, but a 2026 crossover would mean it doesn’t need to. SinceThe Ones Who Liveseason 1 ended with Rick safely back in Alexandria,a second season would effectively act asThe Walking Deadseason 12, featuring most of the old gang.The Walking Deadwould then, temptingly, be only a few faces short of a crossover anyway. A 2026 reunion would easily be able to cover whatever ground might have been reserved for a potentialThe One Who Liveseason 2.
In terms ofThe Walking Dead’s existing spinoffs, therefore, a 2026 crossover could only be considered a positive thing. No plans or story arcs would need to be scrapped in order for the big team-up to transpire, and as a bonus, any future seasons ofDead City,Daryl DixonandThe Ones Who Livewould be liberated by the clean slate a crossover would create.
The Walking Dead
Cast
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on August 19, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
