A staple of horror-drama TV, and one of the most famous examples of zombie fiction ever, The Walking Dead has been inhabiting our screens in one form or another for almost 15 years now, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Based on a comic book, The Walking Dead is about a global zombie outbreak, and in different series we follow different bands of survivors as they try to make it through another day. The show first graced our screens in 2010, and since then has spawned numerous spin-offs and tie-ins. There are currently 25 seasons of zombie action for you to sink your teeth into, a number that's only growing!
That might seem overwhelming, but The Walking Dead is a perfect binge-worthy show with characters you'll grow attached to, villains you'll want to see brought down and creepy ongoing mysteries about what's going on in the world.
If you're a new The Walking Dead watcher who wants to get stuck in, or someone who's watched some of the episodes but wants to catch up on the spin-offs, you might be wondering how to watch The Walking Dead and its various continuations.
So here's how you can stream TWD online, and we'll go through each of the series letting you know where it's available to watch and what it's about. These will be ordered by when they premiered.
How to watch The Walking Dead (main series)
The main series of The Walking Dead is almost definitely where you'll want to start if you're new to the zombie franchise.
It centers on Rick Grimes, a police officer who wakes up from a coma when the zombie infection is raging. He fights to re-unite with his family and find a way for them and their friends to live in safety, a journey which takes him across the US.
The Walking Dead introduced many beloved (or reviled) characters which star in their own spin-offs including Daryl Dixon, Carol Peletier, Maggie Smith and Negan.
In the US, you can watch all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead on Netflix, though ten of them are also on AMC Plus and you can check out six seasons for free on Pluto TV.
In the UK, you've got two options for all eleven seasons: Disney Plus and Prime Video both have them all.
How to watch Fear the Walking Dead
The first spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, takes us back in time to show us what the original series didn't: the initial outbreak of the zombie infection as it slowly tears apart the country.
A long-spanning show, Fear follows the Clark family as they learn to adapt to the new world, focusing on the matriarch Madison Clark as she creates a community of survivors. The show introduced many side characters from TWD as it went on, and also set up lots of elements of the world that became important in other spin-offs.
In the US, you'll need to sign up for AMC Plus to watch Fear the Walking Dead, with all eight seasons only on the streamer. Sometimes, other streaming services net a season or two, but for the entire run you'll have to look to AMC Plus.
In the UK, all eight seasons of Fear the Walking Dead are available on Prime Video, and nowhere else.
How to watch World Beyond
The second spin-off once again showed us another part of The Walking Dead's universe, as World Beyond follows the first generation of survivors who've never experienced the pre-apocalyptic world.
World Beyond shows us four teenagers as they live in a sheltered colony in Nebraska, which protects them from the dangers of the outside world... until it can no longer do so. The show has one returning cast member from the original series but it's also a great way to further understand the world of the show (and some factions who become prominent later), which may make it worth watching despite the more middling reviews than the first two main series.
In the US you'll once again need to sign up for AMC Plus to watch the two seasons, though Hoopla and Spectrum both offer it to subscribers. One season is also on Shudder.
In the UK you can once again tune into Prime Video to watch the show as both of its seasons are on the Amazon streamer.
How to watch Tales of the Walking Dead
Now for something a little bit different: Tales of the Walking Dead isn't a straight narrative show like the past three, but an anthology, with each episode telling a different story.
Some returning faces from The Walking Dead pop up but there's also a large cast of big-name actors too with Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Jessie T. Usher and Poppy Liu popping up, Each story gives an interesting new insight into the TWD world although it's not quite essential viewing.
The first season was popular enough that it spurred on the creation of another anthology show, More Tales from the Walking Dead which is in development.
In the US, you can watch Tales on AMC Plus, Prime Video, Hoopla and DirecTV, but if you don't want to pay, it's also on The Roku Channel.
In the UK, Tales isn't currently available to watch anywhere. Sorry!
How to watch Dead City
Now we move from the spin-offs to the continuations, which follow the characters from The Walking Dead in the aftermath of its finale. One season of Dead City is already out but another is on its way.
Dead City follows Maggie and Negan, two mortal enemies who spent many seasons trying to reconcile, as they venture into a ruined New York City in order to find the former's missing child. There they'll meet new teams of survivors and new enemies who've had to harden to survive in this brutal city.
In the US, you can watch Dead City on AMC Plus or The Roku Channel.
In the UK, there's once again no way to currently watch Dead City, however it's coming to Sky TV and Now TV toward the end of 2024.
How to watch Daryl Dixon
The second TWD continuation takes us out of North America for the first time, as main-series character Daryl Dixon finds himself mysterious transplanted to France. Oh well, there are worse places to find yourself!
The show follows as the character investigates the strange circumstances which see him on the other side of the Atlantic and his quest to go home. He also finds out about the cause of the zombie virus, which gives interesting context to the rest of the show.
One season of Daryl Dixon is already out and at least two more are in development, one of which is called The Book of Carol which tellingly will return Daryl's best friend Carol into the picture.
In the US, you can continue Daryl's adventures on The Roku Channel, AMC Plus or Prime Video.
In the UK, Daryl Dixon is once again coming to Sky TV and Now at some point in 2024, with an exact date TBC.
How to watch The Ones Who Live
The final TWD continuation (at the time of writing) is The Ones Who Live, which answers some of the lingering questions left after the run of the main show.
It centers on Rick and Michonne, who'd become lovers in the main show until Rick's eventual abduction and Michonne's quest to find him several seasons before the end. In The Ones Who Live we find out what happend to Rick and follow as Michonne embarks on a quest to find him.
In the US, The Ones Who Live is available to watch on AMC Plus
In the UK, TOWL is available on Sky TV and Now TV from Monday, May 31.
