Few niche genres seem to have the lifespan of the zombie apocalypse. Revamped and revitalized again and again, zombies have an uncanny knack for staying true to their label as the undead - both onscreen and in their marketability as subjects of film and television projects.
In terms of television, it’s only within the past few years that zombie plagues have invaded homes on a regular basis. Given the lengthy history of the zombie genre, it is somewhat surprising that it took so long for an ongoing television series dealing with the topic to appear. Now that zombies have officially gone mainstream however, they’re definitely here to stay, as AMC’s wildly popular The Walking Dead has proven.
In fact, it’s due to the success of The Walking Dead that its companion series Fear the Walking Dead was able to make its own way to TV screens. After premiering on AMC back in August of 2015, the series has received favorable reviews from critics and viewers alike, as well as being the highest rated first season of any series in cable history. Thanks to this sort of positive appeal, AMC green lit a second series, which will premiere April 10th, 2016.
Although the first season of Fear the Walking Dead was a mere six episodes, this has been more than doubled for the series’ return. The second season will boast 15 episodes and will be split up, with 7 episodes airing from April 10th and the remaining 8 to be shown at a later date in 2016. AMC gives no particular reason for splitting the episodes up in this way, but perhaps more insight will be revealed during the Talking Dead programme which will appear immediately following each episode of Fear the Walking Dead.
Talking Dead is hosted by Chris Hardwick and will focus on cast, crew and guest interviews to discuss the latest episode of the series as well as Fear the Walking Dead in general. Viewers who’ve already forgotten exactly what took place in the first series, or those who are interested in checking it out for the first time, will have the opportunity to do so when the first season begins streaming January 26th on Hulu.
Throughout Fear the Walking Dead’s first run, there was a recurring complaint amongst some viewers that the series didn’t quite have the appeal of The Walking Dead. While it’s normal to expect a comparison of the two series, it’s worth keeping in mind that Fear the Walking Dead is only one season in and often a series will take a little bit of time to hit its stride. What’s more, despite their inherent connection, Fear the Walking Dead will never be The Walking Dead – which means it’s best to enjoy this series for what it is and not what another series has already become.
The second series of Fear the Walking Dead will premier Sunday, April 10th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Source: AMC
