The Walking Dead Season 12 Faces a Daunting Challenge After the Last 3 Spinoffs

The reception to these new shows has been overwhelmingly positive, with the franchise producing some of its best content in years. Having regulars like Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Norman Reedus all reprise their roles has been great for fans who aren’t ready to see The Walking Dead end, while the return of Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln has brought back plenty of nostalgia. With the franchise gaining strong momentum, it seems likely that The Walking Dead is building towards a crossover event, but the spinoffs do present one major challenge for a potential twelfth season.

The Walking Dead’s Last 3 Spinoffs All Had Better Production Values Than The Main Show

While fans may be desperate to see The Walking Dead‘s main characters reunite, season 12 would have a hard time overcoming the spinoffs’ amazing production value. Given the spinoffs have smaller casts and fewer episodes, they have each been able to focus more on the overall production. This has allowed the franchise to branch out and shoot in new locations while creating interesting outfits, weapons, and zombie variants. The Ones Who Live‘s budget was the most expensive yet in The Walking Dead universe, showing how much money and effort was put into making these spinoffs stand out.

In contrast, the main show likely spent a lot more money on maintaining its huge cast, meaning the overall production was inferior to the newer projects. Rick Grimes’ spinoff alone creates problems for a Walking Dead crossover, but with Daryl Dixon and Dead City also having better production value than the main show, it will be hard for the proposed season 12 to improve on this. It is clear the franchise does have great ideas and the larger budgets have allowed the spinoffs to be more creative, but this only makes it harder for season 12 to thrive in comparison.

The Walking Dead Season 12 May Not Be Able To Replicate Its Spinoffs’ Awesome Visuals

Although the spinoffs have improved in a variety of ways, the visuals are one of the biggest upgrades from the main show which season 12 may not be able to overcome. The latest shows have managed to get creative, introducing a variety of new variants, a homemade missile launcher, and even a zombie orchestra, but none of this compares to how visually stunning the spinoffs are. Dead City‘s New York landscape, Daryl Dixon‘s French backdrops, and The Ones Who Live‘s CRM-orientated locations have made each show feel unique while offering more interesting and breathtaking scenery than the main show.

The Walking Dead did offer its own iconic shots throughout its 11 seasons such as Rick riding a horse through Atlanta, but Michonne had her own version of this in her spinoff that matched its quality. Daryl Dixon also used some filming tricks to get the most out of their time filming in France, making the show feel completely different visually from anything the franchise has done before. With the production value contributing to the spinoffs producing some of the franchise’s most beautiful shots, it will be near impossible for The Walking Dead season 12 to replicate these impressive visuals.

How The Walking Dead Season 12 Could Happen Without Lowering The Quality

Despite the challenges facing The Walking Dead season 12, it could still happen without lowering its quality. One way to achieve this would be to shorten the season. By reducing the number of episodes, the show could focus its budget on maintaining high production values and delivering a visually stunning experience. Additionally, integrating the storylines and characters from the spinoffs could create a cohesive and rich narrative, leveraging the popularity and strengths of the recent spinoffs to build a compelling season.

Another approach could be to focus on more intimate, character-driven stories rather than large-scale set pieces. This would allow the show to delve deeper into the emotional arcs of the characters while keeping production costs manageable. The Walking Dead has always excelled in exploring the human condition in a post-apocalyptic world, and a return to this focus could help maintain the quality and integrity of the series.

Ultimately, while The Walking Dead season 12 faces significant challenges, careful planning and a strategic approach to storytelling and production could allow it to stand alongside its successful spinoffs. Fans are eager to see their favorite characters’ journeys continue, and with the right execution, season 12 could deliver a satisfying and visually stunning conclusion to the beloved franchise.