In Fear the Walking Dead, prequel to The Walking Dead, zombies are a sideshow
Show, now in its second season, depicts three families at the start of ‘the outbreak’ as they move from coping with everyday problems to dealing with the end of the world
In the world of television, spin-offs are hardly a new thing. Frasier was born from Cheers; The Colbys came from Dynasty; Buffy led to Angel and, more recently, Better Call Saul undertook the impossible and followed Breaking Bad. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the hugely popular post-apocalyptic show The Walking Dead has spawned a prequel.
“We’re following a legacy of shows that expand their universe,” says Colman Domingo, one of the stars of Fear The Walking Dead.
Admittedly, it’s not that usual to see a spin-off find its feet while its parent show is still ongoing. Created by Frank Darabont, TWD – which itself came from the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard – is due to start its seventh season in October.
Meanwhile, FTWD is about to pick up with episode 8 of Season 2. “We’re a very small main cast compared to The Walking Dead,” says Domingo, who plays Victor Strand.
“There are eight of us. It feels that intimate and connected. We’re making a ‘mom and pop’ family drama that happens to have ‘walkers’.”