The Walking Dead's Netflix Deal Gives A Major Boost To Season 12 Hopes

The Walking Dead revolutionized the zombie genre, giving us an epic tale that kept its human core while crossing into virtually every other genre. Even so, nobody could have predicted the scale of the success that the franchise would achieve. The Walking Dead spinoffs then expanded the franchise's world, opening the door for stories that would not have fitted in with the original show. Now, Netflix could open that door wider, with a deal that ensures The Walking Dead and six spinoff shows will stream on both Netflix and AMC+ for five years starting in 2027.

The Walking Dead had its flaws and ran out of steam towards the final season, with repetitive storytelling, overreliance on cliffhangers, and isolating individual characters, taking the show too far from its roots as an ensemble story. That said, even the later seasons had glimpses of the magic captured in the original, proving that there was still potential for the franchise. With Netflix and The Walking Dead setting this huge new $500m deal, this has raised hopes for a new surge of interest in the show, and all the opportunities this could bring.

Netflix's The Walking Dead Deal Can Rejuvenate Interest In The Show

As one of the world's top streaming platforms with over 300 million subscribers, Netflix has proven time and time again that it can not only bring viewers unique original shows, but rejuvenate interest in ones which have already ended. The platform's binge-watching model allows people to stream entire shows without waiting a week for new episodes, and this gives them the opportunity to quickly catch up on series that they otherwise missed. This has included some of the best TV shows of the past 20 years, like Suits and Schitt's Creek.

Netflix can make great shows feel as if they came out of nowhere. Little-known series that may not have attracted a large enough audience during their first run have become global sensations when streaming on the platform, with Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston thanking Netflix for the show's success at 2013's Emmy Awards. The Walking Dead can hardly be described as "little-known," but after interest in the franchise waned as the show continued, Netflix could provide the perfect opportunity to attract new viewers.

In addition to the original show, Netflix will stream Fear the Walking Dead, World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live. Sprawling TV shows with vast universes can feel daunting, especially when the parts are not all available on the same platform, but with Netflix streaming the original series and the spinoffs, this may encourage new viewers to start at the beginning with the knowledge that they have five years to see it all. As The Walking Dead's future is currently in jeopardy, this could not have come at a better time.

The Walking Dead's Future Is Looking Uncertain

Reviews and ratings for The Walking Dead and its spinoffs vary widely, with most getting mediocre or even poor audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, while the critics' ratings mostly remain in the 70s. Even Norman Reedus' performance as the fan favorite Daryl Dixon was not enough to carry his spinoff, despite it being the most ambitious by far. The Walking Dead revealed that the zombie outbreak was worldwide, which should, in theory, have provided it with the opportunity to build a global franchise with Walking Dead stories set much further afield than Georgia, USA.

Daryl Dixon appeared to be testing the water for this very idea. Critics praised the new setting in France and different, often bleaker, tone, with the show becoming one of the most watched Walking Dead spinoffs. However, other reviewers noted the repetitive plot and rushed feeling of Carol's arc. The most recent season has redeemed itself a little, but not enough to revive the entire franchise, and Daryl Dixon is set to end after its fourth and final season, airing in 2027.

Daryl Dixon's final season is The Walking Dead's only confirmed future release, with even the Maggie and Negan focused Dead City looking uncertain, with Rotten Tomatoes critics giving its latest season a surprise perfect score while audiences deemed it just 49% positive. As Dead City has not yet been renewed and Daryl Dixon is about to finish, The Walking Dead franchise has just two seasons left. This provides Netflix with the perfect opportunity to put its own stamp on the iconic zombie franchise.

A Walking Dead Crossover Would Make For A Perfect Netflix Event

Rewatching The Walking Dead's pilot years later highlights exactly how the show lost its way. The greatest strength of The Walking Dead was always its community storylines and ensemble cast, who were never better than when they were battling an enemy or situation as a team. As the show progressed, it separated the characters into smaller and smaller groups, eventually making it virtually indistinguishable from most other zombie horror projects in which small groups fight for survival.

After the series ended without giving Rick a final arc and reunion with his family, The Ones Who Live picked up his story for a miniseries, and as the six-episode series would not have worked with a large cast, the reunion aspect is the key to its success. Of all The Walking Dead spinoffs, The Ones Who Live was almost as successful as the original, with Rotten Tomatoes critics even giving it a higher score. Taking this into account, Netflix could have found the winning formula for a perfect event.

There are few post-apocalyptic shows better than The Walking Dead, but it cannot be denied that the show left some loose ends regarding the fate of fan favorite characters. However, many of the Walking Dead projects have proven that creating endless spinoffs focusing on these individuals may not be the way to go. These can splinter the story further, dilute the original premise, and rely on the characters' charisma in an increasingly repetitive set-up. Instead, Netflix could take a bolder approach.

Many of Netflix's original series have been mega hits, and it would be exciting to see the platform take on The Walking Dead with an original project. The spinoffs each have their own tone and style, but they are not so removed from the original series that there could not be a crossover. Taking the ensemble aspect from the flagship series and the reunion theme from The Ones Who Live could give viewers a miniseries bringing together all the shows and characters, creating a season 12 for The Walking Dead that does the original series justice at last.