The Walking Dead's original series was one of the biggest shows around during its peak, and while it remains the franchise's best product, the recent spinoffs are better in some areas. Having had one of the best pilots in TV history, the main series continued to grow in popularity for years and was once a must-see event, but the quality started to dwindle in its later seasons with viewers gradually tuning out. Despite this, viewers who quit The Walking Dead early missed out on some great moments like the Whisperer War, and most significantly, the recent spinoffs.
Although many will argue the franchise should have properly concluded with The Walking Dead season 11's ending, the loyal fan base of the zombie series alongside its longevity made it almost impossible. Instead, the finale offered fans a reasonable place to drop off, while progressing the story through a variety of different projects, as Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live have all followed major characters and gave them compelling stories that have performed incredibly well. Although none of them live up to the main series individually, there are some areas where the spinoffs surpass the original show.
10 The Walking Dead's Modern Spinoffs Have Way More Swearing
Profanity Became Much More Common After The Main Show Ended
While the final season got a little more lenient with its swearing, profanity is much more frequent in the spinoff, creating a more natural feel for the apocalypse. Given the gory, violent nature of the zombie setting, it was always a little strange that the characters rarely dropped any f-bombs and kept their foul language to a minimum. When considering some of the horrors they've witnessed and the awful situations they've been in, the franchise's survivors should have really been much more expressive with their words.
Thankfully, The Walking Dead spinoffs contain a lot more cursing, and it feels natural too. Foul language isn't just used for the sake of it in the newer projects; instead, intense dialog is enhanced by their presence and certain conversations feel more realistic as there are fewer restrictions on swearing. Some of the original show's best scenes were filtered with the DVDs featuring the uncensored version, whereas the spinoffs have been a massive upgrade in this department.
9 Shorter Seasons Suits The Walking Dead So Much Better
There Is Much Less Filler To Pad Out The Spinoffs
Another improvement from the spinoffs is their shorter seasons, which have been a massive benefit to the franchise. Although some of The Walking Dead's best episodes came later in their 16+ episode seasons, the long-winded nature of each installment often led to plenty of filler, many of which never really went anywhere. In contrast, season 1 remains one of the show's strongest outings since it was only six episodes long, and every one served a purpose alongside being filled with high-stakes drama.
The recent spinoffs have all adopted a similar strategy, with each series containing just six episodes a season. The shorter nature forces these projects to be much more direct and waste less time on irrelevant subplots, resulting in an overall better quality. Unfortunately, this did force The Ones Who Live's ending to feel a little rushed, but even another episode or two would have been perfect, while Dead City and Daryl Dixon have thrived due to their fast-paced storytelling.
8 The Spinoffs Have More Versatile Drama
The Main Show Was Guilty Of Focusing Strictly On Big Villain Groups & Survival
Despite The Walking Dead undoubtedly having bigger stakes than its spinoff, the drama tended to be slightly more one-dimensional. Constantly trying to one-up each villain group meant the main show repeated a cycle of finding a new settlement, facing the next big threat, and frequently relocating. Naturally, the spinoffs do have somewhat similar elements, but the objectives go beyond simply surviving or vanquishing a threat.
Daryl Dixon has largely been about protecting Laurent, which is a fresh concept for the franchise. In a story similar to The Last of Us, Daryl's initial goal of getting home evolves into trying to keep a special child alive, something The Walking Dead hasn't done previously. Likewise, The Ones Who Live's story about escaping a large military faction is also pretty unique, while Dead City's plot about rescuing Hershel from the Croat is a little more straightforward but still offers a slightly different type of drama to what the franchise has previously.
7 Returns Feel More Special Outside The Main Show
The Walking Dead Spinoffs Have Already Had Some Impactful Returns
Both the main show and the spinoffs have had some exciting returns, but they have definitely felt a little more special in the recent projects. Perhaps it's just the idea of certain character interactions happening for the first time in years but Gabriel's unexpected appearance in The Ones Who Live was one of the most thrilling returns in a long time, and seeing Rick reunite with his children also made for a great moment, highlighting how well the spinoffs executed these scenes.
Even Carol's radio call in Daryl Dixon set up a great reunion with Daryl in season 2, and any further cameos from the main cast in the spinoff shows will have a huge impact. The original series did have its own fun returns, like Morgan and Morales, but a lot of the main cast were around for the majority of the time or only had small departures. Therefore, they were less impactful since audiences didn't have to wait long until their favorite characters were back on-screen.
6 Zombies Feel More Threatening In The Spinoffs
The Increase Of Variants Has Added A New Dynamic To The Franchise
Zombies may have been a major threat in the early days of The Walking Dead, but their threat fizzled out over the years. Seeing the survivors adapt to a world filled with the undead made the show so good, but the biggest threat quickly became humans, with the main group eventually finding walkers relatively easy to deal with. The central characters were even able to deal with large hordes, as evidenced by "No Way Out", and while variants did eventually appear in season 11, their role was limited.
On the other hand, Daryl Dixon's use of zombie variants was much more frequent, as the protagonist had to deal with burners and even fight a super-powered zombie inside a small arena. Dead City also featured a mutated walker which had multiple zombies combined into one, highlighting the show's creativity. The Ones Who Live's use was a little underwhelming in comparison, but two out of three spinoffs making the undead a key issue once again does give the recent project an upper hand on the original.
5 Side Stories Don't Hurt The Spinoffs As Much As They Do The Main Show
Flashbacks Have Added Value To The Spinoffs, Whereas Side Stories Often Damaged The Original Series
Given the vast number of characters involved in the main show, The Walking Dead was often hurt by side stories. While it was great on occasion to have more time dedicated towards characters who didn't always get the spotlight, episodes like "Swear" ultimately went nowhere and just felt like filler. The series would often jump from Rick and some of the main characters to an entirely different story in the next episode, making it take too long to get the resolution to each narrative and detract from the central action.
Luckily, the spinoffs don't face the same issues as the casts are much smaller, and the action predominantly follows the protagonists. Therefore, whenever there are supporting characters getting the spotlight, it actually feels refreshing. Daryl Dixon did a great job with its flashback sequences, helping Isabelle and Genet feel more important and adding to their personalities. Dead City also used Perile Armstrong well, making his probable return in season 2 much more interesting, and audiences will be excited to see someone other than Maggie or Negan.
4 New Characters Get A Better Chance To Flourish In The Spinoffs
The Spinoffs Have Added Numerous Interesting Characters
Alongside the side stories being more interesting, the characters involved in them are also better fleshed out. Admittedly, The Walking Dead spinoffs are guilty of wasting characters by killing them off too early, but they at least get a chance to shine before dying. Codron, Isabelle, Perile, Laurent, Thorne, Genet, Nat, and Major General Beale are just some of the characters introduced in the newer shows who flourished, and with some of them still alive, they could become mainstays in the franchise.
Naturally, the main show still did a great job with its survivors, considering how many there have been across its 11 seasons. However, trying to balance so many characters led to some being missing for large chunks of each season and having more limited roles overall. For example, Tobin was introduced in season 5 yet lasted all the way until season 9, and while he had a handful of heroic moments, his time in the series felt less memorable than Isabelle's despite her only lasting 10 episodes.
3 The Walking Dead's New Shows Finally Explore Other Parts Of The World
The Main Show Never Left The US During Its 11 Seasons
America has always been the primary focus of The Walking Dead, even when it came to the original spinoffs, but the more modern shows have finally explored other parts of the world. Alongside the first two seasons taking place in France, Daryl Dixon also highlighted how the zombie outbreak affected Greenland, instantly showing the audience new locations. The spinoff's third season will also showcase the UK and Spain, giving fans a greater scope of the virus' impact.
Although Dead City is still set in the US, New York is a much different location from anywhere else shown in the main series, giving the project plenty of personality. While it was interesting to see characters navigate from Atlanta to Ohio in the original show, the environment didn't change much other than the settlements in communities. In comparison, the spinoffs are much more vibrant and have unique landscapes and architecture that make them visually superior.
2 The Walking Dead's Modern Spinoffs Have More Conventional Villains
Some Of The Original Show's Villains Weren't True Antagonists
Villains are a major part of the zombie franchise, and while the 2010 series had some of the best antagonists on TV at the time, it also has some more unconventional enemies. There is no denying the likes of Negan, The Governor, and Alpha are all more compelling than any of the villains introduced in the newer projects, but the main series still faced some issues in this regard. Season 1 didn't have a true antagonist, with Merle and Jenner being the closest thing to foes for the main group.
Although this worked because the zombies were the initial threat, Shane felt more like a complicated survivor than a proper antagonist in season 2, and even the show's final villain, Pamela Milton, was far from a conventional enemy. In contrast, Genet, Major General Beale, The Dama, and The Croat are all much more typical hostiles who feel like a genuine threat to the protagonists, making it less frustrating when the central characters actually struggle to take them down.
1 The Spinoffs Are More Character Driven
Central Characters Have Had A Much Bigger Spotlight On Them In The Recent Projects
By far the best aspect of the spinoffs compared to the main show is how character-driven they are. The Walking Dead has always been about its survivors but trying to give such a large cast the time to develop and shine was difficult. Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, Carol, and Negan all became fan favorites, hence why they got a spinoff show in the first place, but even they had periods of feeling a little underutilized. Unfortunately, people like Jesus, Andrea, and Tyrese all had better runs in the comics, as the show was simply too overcrowded.
The spinoffs vastly improve in this area, as each show is dedicated to its two main protagonists. While the side characters do still get a chance to thrive, each spinoff is clearly about a specific duo who are always at the heart of the story. Despite how much we've seen of Daryl over the past 14 years, he still shows a different side in his spinoff due to getting such a big spotlight, and the new projects have all been a massive upgrade to The Walking Dead's original series in this department.
