AMC’s The Walking Dead Season 10 returned to TV tonight after a four-month hiatus with 6 new bonus episodes. The show ended last October on a giant cliffhanger leaving fans wanting more. Previews for the show’s new episodes promise to deliver new characters, suspense and post-apocalyptic Storm Troopers. The cast has confirmed that the episodes will be smaller scale, more intimate versions of the show, and give us a deeper look into characters new and old.
The Walking Dead had to delay the original season 10 finale after the pandemic sent the team into lockdown while they were still finishing post-production on the episode. Realistically they couldn’t finish the episode to their standards, and had to push it back to October. These six new episodes have been filmed according to health and safety standards, meaning large hordes weren’t an option, leaving the show to delve deeper into the cast fans already love, and some new ones too. The episodes are meant to fill in the gap between season 10 and 11, the final season, as well as lead us into several new spin-offs. CGM Writer Clement Goh touched on the spin-offs and what the end of the series will mean for The Walking Dead universe here.
Episode 17, “Home Sweet Home”, started off with some powerful reunions that will definitely force more than a few characters to face their demons going forward. In true The Walking Dead fashion, nothing is ever as easy as it should be and the show hasn’t spared any action, suspense or gore despite the pandemic forcing new production guidelines. It was exciting to see old characters return and left viewers curious about some new cast introductions, both good and evil. The smaller cast size didn’t affect the show’s overall quality, so fans can continue to look forward to The Walking Dead they know and love.
With the bonus episodes now beginning to air, news of the final season is beginning to circulate. Showrunner Angela Kang touched on filming the new season, “It’s definitely been a huge learning experience all around, but now we’re back to filming a really big season premiere for season 11 so it’s rolling along.” Kang continued, reassuring fans going forward, “It’s like we were able to apply those lessons from this into something that feels more like our regular content.”
The Walking Dead will air five more episodes this season, Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC, followed by the show’s dedicated talk show, Talking Dead, each week. The show’s official Twitter page posted a teaser clip after tonight’s episode, stating “A New World Order. The final season begins Summer 2021.” Spin-off Fear The Walking Dead will return April 11, with The Walking Dead: World Beyond coming back for season two hopefully later this year.
