Why Fear The Walking Dead is ending (Why season 9 isn’t happening)

Kim Dickens as Madison Clark - Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 7, Episode 16 - Photo Credit: Lauren "Lo" Smith/AMC
Kim Dickens as Madison Clark - Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 7, Episode 16 - Photo Credit: Lauren "Lo" Smith/AMC /
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Fear The Walking Dead concludes after season 8, making it the second of AMC’s TWD Universe shows to bow out in the space of a year. Why is it ending and was it cancelled?

It’s the end of another era for the TWD Universe. After saying goodbye to its parent series in November 2022, AMC’s shared universe of survivors and zombies now bids farewell to Fear The Walking Dead.

The eighth season has been airing on AMC (and streaming on AMC+) across this year, having two half-season runs to prepare fans for its eventual conclusion. Now, it’s time for the veteran series to bow out.

Fear The Walking Dead‘s conclusion may come as a shock to fans, especially since this year has also been the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the TWD Universe with the launches of Daryl Dixon and Dead City, and with more TWD spinoffs on the way in the year ahead. So, why end Fear now that it has become the flagship show of this universe?

Was Fear The Walking Dead cancelled?

Fear The Walking Dead may stop producing episodes after its season 8 finale, but it’s important to note that the show hasn’t been cancelled. Much like we saw with its predecessor, it seems like AMC and the creative team behind Fear  just decided that now was the right time for the show to reach its natural conclusion.

It’s an interesting decision given that the TWD Universe era also began this year, with new spinoffs focused on TWD characters expanding the world like never before. In a way, that makes Fear more relevant than ever, because it is the original spin-off. And yet, maybe that’s why AMC is ending the show now, because it was part of a different expansion of the TWD world and not the new movement we have going on now.

New shows The Walking Dead: Dead CityDaryl Dixon, and the Rick and Michonne spin-off The Ones Who Live are where the future of the franchise seems to lie now. We know the first two are carrying on into second seasons, but it’s quite possible that the-powers-that-be want to end the TWD story with the third (should it get a second season) or even a potential crossover.

In many people’s minds, Fear The Walking Dead ran its course a few seasons back when it decided to catch up to its parent show (it was originally a prequel), bring Morgan into it, and get rid of its two most interesting characters. With one of them, original lead Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), finally back on the show, perhaps now is the right time to bring it to a close.

Fear The Walking Dead is an incredibly important part of the TWD Universe‘s legacy, so with Madison Clark’s journey coming to an end, you can bet we’ll be paying our respects.

Next. All 8 seasons of Fear The Walking Dead, ranked. dark

Are you sad to hear that Fear The Walking Dead is ending? Let us know in the comments below!