AMC has announced the premiere date for the second season of itsThe Walking Deadspinoff seriesFear the Walking Dead. At the TCA’s today, the network revealed that Season 2 ofFearkicks off on Sunday, April 10th at 9:00pm ET/PT. This date actually isn’t much of a surprise, asThe Walking Deadwill be wrapping up its sixth season the week prior on April 3rd, so this gives AMC the opportunity to tout the return ofFear the Walking Deadas a palate cleanser/appeasement forWalking Deadfans.
Most notable, though, is the fact that every episode ofFear the Walking Deadwill now be followed byChris Hardwick’s talk showTalking Dead, meaning he’ll be sticking on the AMC airwaves for quite a bit longer this year.Talking Deadonly aired after the Season 1 finale ofFear, but it appears AMC decided it’d be a swell fit for the entirety of the show’s second season.
As is AMC’s new tradition, the second season ofFear the Walking Deadwill be split into two halves. The first seven episodes will air consecutively, with a midseason break followed by the remaining eight episodes later in 2016 (maybe as a buildup to the next season ofThe Walking Dead?). This is a way for the network—which has lostMad MenandBreaking Badwith no wildly successful replacements to be found—to keep its biggest brand on the airwaves for a longer period of time.
While reaction toFear the Walking Deadwas mixed, I was a big fan of showrunnerDave Erickson’s take on the early days of the zombie apocalypse. Anchored by a swell performance fromKim Dickens, I appreciated the interesting character dynamics at play, and the show felt a lot less safe thanThe Walking Dead, which has fallen into a bit of a routine in terms of stakes. I’m curious to see how the series progresses with a longer season, and I hope there are more fascinating developments in store. The show already stands apart fromThe Walking Deadin that its second season is taking the action to the ocean, with production on Season 2 taking place in the Baja peninsula in Mexico.
Other AMC notables:TURN: Washington’s Spiespremieres its third season on April 25th, and theTom Hiddleston-fronted miniseriesThe Night Managerbegins on April 19th. For premiere dates for all returning shows,check out our extensive calendar.
