The still-untitled Walking Dead companion series set in Los Angeles has received a two-season order from AMC, the network announced today. The first season will debut in late summer and consist of six one-hour episodes. The second season will air in 2016.
The show—which will be produced by Walking Dead execs Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert, along with Sons of Anarchy’s Dave Erickson (who will act as showrunner)—has been a shoo-in to be greenlit ever since it was first announced, and the two-season order mirrors what the network eventually did with its Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul.
“We feel empowered by this two-season commitment, a serious show of faith from our network partner AMC,” Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman said in a statement. “I personally take it as a sign that they believe, like we do, that we’ve accomplished our goal of developing something original that can pay tribute to the original show and expand the world I created while at the same time having something new to say with this story. I’m very grateful that we now have the opportunity to tell this amazing story and show the fans that we really haven’t scratched the surface yet when it comes to The Walking Dead.”
Showrunner Erickson echoed his enthusiasm: “This vote of confidence from our partners at AMC is gratifying, to say the least. We’ve been blessed with amazing writers and a stellar cast—and we can’t wait to build this apocalyptic drama over the next two seasons and hopefully beyond.”
Cliff Curtis, Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane, and Alycia Debnam will headline the companion series, which will also air internationally through AMC Global with plans to air within 24 hours of the U.S. premiere. Dickens spoke with EW recently about her character, saying, “I like the role. I like that she was this bad-ass, Sigourney Weaver-type character. It was so fun, and the stakes are so high. It’s just so exciting, a fun sort of fantasy world to be in when I’ve done some other very grounded pieces lately. It’s always good to keep it exciting. Apparently there are more zombies that need killing.”
And now they will get killed in Los Angeles…for at least two seasons.
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