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This article is about World Beyond. For other pages with the same name, see: The Walking Dead Television Universe

The Walking Dead: World Beyond is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama limited series created by Scott Gimple and Matt Negrete that premiered on AMC on October 4, 2020. It is a spin-off series to The Walking Dead, which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, and is the third television series within The Walking Dead television universe. The first season consisted of 10 episodes. The second and final season premiered on October 3, 2021, and also consists of 10 episodes with the final episode aired on December 5, 2021.[1][2]

The series was announced July 2018 and was first given a ten-episode order in April 2019. Matt Negrete, who has previously written for The Walking Dead, is the showrunner for the series.

Premise[]

The series, set in Nebraska ten years after the zombie apocalypse, features four teenage protagonists and focuses on "the first generation to come-of-age in the apocalypse as we know it. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. Grown-up and cemented in their identities, both good and bad."[3][4][5]

The series begins in a college town in Nebraska, which is a reference to the Season 2 episode of the original series. The episode, titled "Nebraska", mentions that Nebraska was well-poised to resist the zombie apocalypse because of their low human population density and high level of firearms.[6]

In World Beyond, the Campus Colony comes into being when the Nebraska State University campus is declared a safe zone at the beginning of the zombie outbreak.[7] Civilians flee to the campus, which is protected by U.S. military personnel. As the rest of the world descends into chaos, the enclave at Nebraska State University survives and thrives to enable a generation of children to grow up in relative safety.[8] Thus the main characters of World Beyond have lived a pretty sheltered existence and at the start of the series have rarely left the safety of the campus.[9] It is eventually revealed that Omaha is part of the Alliance of the Three, which is an association of three survivor cities: Portland, Omaha and the Civic Republic of Philadelphia. In this confederation, the Campus Colony with about 10,000 residents is viewed as a mere satellite branch of the larger Omaha outpost, which has about 100,000 inhabitants.[10][11][12]

Series Overview[]

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 10 October 4, 2020 November 29, 2020
2 10 October 3, 2021 December 5, 2021

Episodes[]

As of December 5, 2021, 20 episodes of The Walking Dead: World Beyond have aired.

Season 1

Title Writer(s) Director(s) Original Air Date U.S. Viewers
1. "Brave" Scott Gimple
Matt Negrete
Magnus Martens October 4, 2020 1.60 million
2. "The Blaze of Gory" Ben Sokolowski Magnus Martens October 11, 2020 1.04 million
3. "The Tyger and the Lamb" Siavash Farahani Sharat Raju October 18, 2020 1.04 million
4. "The Wrong End of a Telescope" Sinead Daly Rachel Leiterman October 25, 2020 1.02 million
5. "Madman Across the Water" Rohit Kumar Dan Liu November 1, 2020 0.74 million
6. "Shadow Puppets" Maya Goldsmith Michael Cudlitz November 8, 2020 0.73 million
7. "Truth or Dare" Eddie Guzelian Michael Cudlitz November 15, 2020 0.78 million
8. "The Sky Is a Graveyard" Elizabeth Padden Loren Yaconelli November 22, 2020 0.63 million
9. "The Deepest Cut" Ben Sokolowski
Maya Goldsmith
Sydney Freeland November 29, 2020 0.62 million
10. "In This Life" Matt Negrete
Ben Sokolowski
Maya Goldsmith
Magnus Martens November 29, 2020 0.62 million

Season 2

Title Writer(s) Director(s) Original Air Date U.S. Viewers
1. "Konsekans" Matt Negrete Loren Yaconelli October 3, 2021 0.75 million
2. "Foothold" Carson Moore Loren Yaconelli October 10, 2021 0.81 million
3. "Exit Wounds" Rayna McClendon Aisha Tyler October 17, 2021 0.67 million
4. "Family Is a Four Letter Word" Maya Goldsmith Aisha Tyler October 24, 2021 0.69 million
5. "Quatervois" Ben Sokolowski Heather Cappiello October 31, 2021 0.51 million
6. "Who Are You?" Rohit Kumar Heather Cappiello November 7, 2021 0.43 million
7. "Blood and Lies" Sinead Daly Lily Mariye November 14, 2021 0.49 million
8. "Returning Point" Eddie Guzelian Lily Mariye November 21, 2021 0.53 million
9. "Death and the Dead" Erin Martin
Sam Reynolds
Loren Yaconelli November 28, 2021 0.54 million
10. "The Last Light" Matt Negrete
Maya Goldsmith
Carson Moore
Loren Yaconelli December 5, 2021 0.43 million

Title Screen[]

Main article: Title Screens (World Beyond)

Cast and Characters[]

The Walking Dead: World Beyond
Actor Character Appeared Seasons Status Background
Aliyah Royale Iris Bennett 1, 2 Alive A smart high school student and aspiring scientist.[13]
Alexa Mansour Hope Bennett 1, 2 Alive Iris' adoptive, rebellious and intellectual sister.[14][13]
Hal Cumpston Silas Plaskett 1, 2 Alive A shy teenager who was transferred to the Campus Colony after committing a violent offense.[14][13]
Nicolas Cantu Elton Ortiz 1, 2 Alive An analytical and intellectual fifteen-year-old.[14][13]
Nico Tortorella Felix Carlucci 1, 2 Alive The head of security at the Campus Colony, who was kicked out of his house for coming out as gay.[15]
Annet Mahendru Jennifer Mallick 1, 2 Dead A security officer at the Campus Colony and Elizabeth's daughter.[13]
Julia Ormond Elizabeth Kublek 1, 2 Alive The lieutenant colonel of the Civic Republic Military.[16]
Joe Holt Leopold Bennett 1, 2 Alive The adoptive father of Iris and Hope, who is a scientist that is being held by the CRM.[17][2]
Natalie Gold Lyla Belshaw 1, 2 Dead A scientist working for the CRM, who is one of Leo's colleagues.[2][16]
Jelani Alladin Will Campbell 1, 2 Alive A former security officer at the Campus Colony, who is Felix's boyfriend and later husband.[2]
Ted Sutherland Percy 1, 2 Dead A traveling magician who befriends Iris. As a young child, he was abandoned by his mother and left to his uncle, Tony.[16]
Pollyanna McIntosh Anne 2 Alive A warrant officer of the CRM who disappeared along with Rick Grimes onboard a CRM helicopter in The Walking Dead.[18]

Production[]

Development[]

In July 2018, during San Diego Comic Con, executive producer Scott Gimple announced that a new spin-off was in the works.[19] In April 2019, AMC gave a ten-episode order for the series.[4] In July, the series was given the working title of Monument.[20] On November 24, 2019, Gimple revealed the show's title.[21] In January 2020, alongside the series premiere date announcement, AMC confirmed that the series would only consist of two seasons.[5]

Casting[]

In July 2019, Alexa Mansour, Nicolas Cantu, and Hal Cumpston were cast as main undisclosed roles.[14] The same month, Aliyah Royale and Annet Mahendru joined the cast.[13] The following month, Nico Tortorella.[15] Julia Ormond was announced as a cast member in November 2019, playing the role of Elizabeth Kublek, the "charismatic leader of a large, sophisticated and formidable force".[16]

In August 2019, Joe Holt was cast in a recurring role.[17] In November, Natalie Gold, Al Calderon, Scott Adsit and Ted Sutherland were cast as Lyla Belshaw, Barca, Tony Delmado and Percy.[16]

In May 2021, Robert Palmer Watkins joined the cast in recurring role for the second season.[22] For the second season, Joe Holt, Jelani Alladin, Natalie Gold and Ted Sutherland were promoted to series regulars.[2]

Filming[]

Filming for the series began late July 2019 in Richmond, Virginia and was expected to last until November 2019.[23] Jordan Vogt-Roberts was originally announced to be the director of the pilot episode.[24] Vogt-Roberts was replaced with Magnus Martens, who previously directed for Fear the Walking Dead. The change in directors was a result of the writers mapping out the rest of the season and production had to go in a different direction; Negrete said Vogt-Roberts contributed ideas to the first episode.[25] The series was looking to film a plane crash in the vein of Lost with filming to take place in Hopewell, Virginia during the first two weeks of August.[20]

Release[]

Broadcast[]

The series was originally set to premiere on April 12, 2020, on AMC, after the tenth season finale of The Walking Dead.[26] However, in March 2020, AMC announced that the premiere was delayed and would instead debut "later this year".[27] On July 24, 2020, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 4, 2020.[28] The series premiered on October 1, 2020, on AMC+, AMC's premium on-demand service and each episode became available three days before their broadcast premiere.[29] The final season premiered on October 3, 2021 on AMC.[2]

Outside the United States, the series is distributed by Amazon Prime Video and first premiered on October 2, 2020.[30][31]

Marketing[]

The first trailer was released at New York Comic Con on October 5, 2019.[3] A second trailer was released November 25.[32]

Home Media[]

The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on June 15, 2021.[33] The second season was released on March 8, 2022.[34]

Reception[]

Critical Reception[]

The Walking Dead: World Beyond has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a score of 46% with an average rating of 4.90/10 based on 24 critics. The website's critical consensus reads: "The series' strong performances and new perspective within The Walking Dead universe aren't enough to make it stand out in an increasingly crowded franchise."[35] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 48 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicated "mixed or average reviews."[36]

Daniel D'Addario of Variety gave it a generally positive review and wrote, "This is not a perfect series... And yet there's a willingness to reinvent, to genuinely probe a corner of the universe previously untouched, that makes this series feel serious in its intent and, for fans of the forerunning series, well worth checking out".[37] In a more negative review from Candice Frederick of TV Guide, she graded it two out of five stars and wrote, "World Beyond doesn't offer audiences fresh ideas or even fascinating characters for which to root."[38]

Promotional Material[]

Trailers[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the second spin-off series of The Walking Dead, after Fear the Walking Dead.
  • The series' events take place roughly ten years into the apocalypse.[39]
    • The events take place from August to October 2020, meaning the show takes place during and after the time skip of "What Comes After" of the main show.[40]
  • World Beyond refers to zombies as "empties".[41]
    • This name was inspired by Jesus from the Comic Series.
  • Gimple confirms there will eventually be crossovers.[42]
    • This crossover character was later revealed to be Anne.[43]
  • It's been confirmed there will be clues about Rick Grimes' whereabouts.[44]
  • Interestingly enough, in The Walking Dead episode "Nebraska" both Dave and Tony said they were planning on going to Nebraska due to its low population and large amount of guns.
  • World Beyond will only have 2 seasons.
    • This makes it the first series in the TV universe with a scheduled end date.
  • Originally the name Endlings was considered for the title of the show.[45]
    • This was later used as the name for the main group of survivors seen on the show.
  • This is the only spin-off show to not feature any characters who originated from the Comic Series.
    • Although, Beta makes a brief photographic appearance.

References[]

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/01/17/amc-confirms-the-walking-dead-world-beyond-will-only-run-for-20-total-episodes/
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 https://deadline.com/2021/07/walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-premiere-date-amc-1234799151/
  3. 3.0 3.1 https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/05/the-walking-dead-third-amc-series-trailer-new-york-comic-con
  4. 4.0 4.1 https://deadline.com/2019/04/the-walking-dead-spinoff-details-revealed-by-amc-ahead-of-2020-premiere-1202590997/
  5. 5.0 5.1 https://www.skybound.com/shows/the-walking-dead-world-beyond/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-will-only-last-two-seasons
  6. https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-setting-nebraska-ties-into-walking-dead-season-2/
  7. https://ew.com/tv/recaps/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-1-episode-1/
  8. https://www.tvguide.com/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-premiere-date/
  9. https://www.cbr.com/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-proves-crm-sinister/
  10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2020/10/20/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-has-one-huge-glaring-problem/
  11. https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-maggie-commonwealth-decision-world-beyond-omaha/
  12. https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-civic-republic-and-three-rings-explained/
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 https://tvline.com/2019/07/19/walking-dead-third-series-annet-mahendru-cast/
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/third-walking-dead-series-cast-1203262504/
  15. 15.0 15.1 https://deadline.com/2019/08/the-walking-dead-third-series-nico-tortorella-star-cast-new-spinoff-amc-1202661133/
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/walking-dead-world-beyond-julia-ormond-casting-1203415154/
  17. 17.0 17.1 https://deadline.com/2019/08/the-walking-dead-third-series-joe-holt-recur-new-spinoff-amc-1202667465/
  18. https://ew.com/tv/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-pollyanna-mcintosh-crossover-rick-grimes/
  19. http://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2018/07/21/the-walking-dead-spinoff-comic-con-scott-gimple
  20. 20.0 20.1 https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2019/07/26/walking-dead-spinoff-title-plane-crash-monument-virginia/
  21. https://tvline.com/2019/11/24/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-third-series-title-amc/
  22. https://deadline.com/2021/05/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-robert-palmer-watkins-season-2-amc-spinoff-recurring-1234766215/
  23. https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2019/07/30/the-walking-dead-first-trailer-for-third-series-released/
  24. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-full-cast-set-third-show-amc-1225727
  25. https://www.tvguide.com/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-matthew-negrete-interview/
  26. https://tvline.com/2020/01/16/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-premiere-date-amc-photos/
  27. https://tvline.com/2020/03/20/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-delayed-postponed-spinoff-premiere-date/
  28. https://deadline.com/2020/07/walking-dead-world-beyond-premiere-date-trailer-amc-1202993772/
  29. https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/1149446-amc-to-unveil-the-walking-dead-world-beyond-episodes-early
  30. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a31826925/walking-dead-spin-off-world-beyond-postpones-premiere/
  31. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-Dead-World-Beyond-Season/dp/B08JFT9W2L
  32. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a29940488/walking-dead-spin-off-title-world-beyond-trailer/
  33. https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/041421-1400
  34. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Walking-Dead-World-Beyond-Final-Season-Blu-ray/308237/
  35. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_walking_dead_world_beyond/s01
  36. https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-walking-dead-world-beyond/season-1
  37. https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-tv-review-1234773575/
  38. https://www.tvguide.com/news/the-walking-dead-the-world-beyond-review-amc-spinoff/
  39. https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-mov-nico-tortorella-profile-space-between-0920-20190918-oj2br36vb5dbroxq67zslx4hye-story.html
  40. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/10042074/walking-dead-spin-off-nico-tortorella/
  41. https://twitter.com/TheWalkingDead/status/1180514298101190656
  42. https://twitter.com/TheWalkingDead/status/1180518501435338752
  43. https://twitter.com/TWDWorldBeyond/status/1433478438950785032
  44. https://twitter.com/TheWalkingDead/status/1305052719464366080
  45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKzgICOZDwQ

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