What is The Walking Dead?
The Walking Dead (TWD) is a character-based horror series about a zombie apocalypse, based on Robert Kirkman’s Image Comics graphic novel of the same name. The TV series premiered in 2010 on AMC and is currently in its 11th and final season, which resumes Sunday, Feb. 20.
Though there are plenty of zombies on The Walking Dead (which are never referred to as “zombies,” but “walkers”), the show is really about its living characters and their shifting relationships post-society. Famed Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero has even referred to TWD as “a soap opera with occasional zombies” (The Big Issue, 2013).
At its ratings peak in 2014 with season 5, The Walking Dead was watched by over 17 million viewers, a staggering number for a cable TV drama. The current season, which premiered in August 2021, has averaged around 2 million weekly—the show has lost more viewers than heroes, villains, and showrunners, which is saying something.
When it’s over, The Walking Dead will be survived by AMC’s spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead (which has aired seven seasons), and a trio of upcoming AMC movies centered on original Walking Dead lead Rick Grimes. There’s also a spinoff show about long-running TWD characters Carol and Daryl in the works, as well as an anthology series called Tales of the Walking Dead. Like the zombie apocalypse, the TWD universe is endless.
Where to watch The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead has aired 161 episodes (so far), which means newcomers have several power-binge weekends ahead of them. Fortunately, the first 10 seasons of TWD are as easy to find as a lumbering zombie pack, as is the in-progress, 24-episode final run.
The Walking Dead seasons 1–10 (2010–2021)
Seasons 1–10 of The Walking Dead are streaming on Netflix—it doesn’t get simpler than that. You can also buy or rent episodes from Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, or YouTube. But, at $1.99 an episode, why would you? We’d obviously recommend the Netflix route.
You can also watch The Walking Dead for free on Pluto TV, through the Stories by AMC channel (135). But Pluto TV is “live,” which in this case means the content on all channels stream on a 24/7 loop that can’t be paused. The Stories by AMC channel runs blocks of TWD episodes daily, but unless you catch the beginning of the loop, you’ll just be lost in the woods.
Netflix and Pluto TV plans and pricing
Service | Price | Video | Streams | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Netflix | $8.99-$17.99/mo. | 720p, 1080p, 4K | 1-4 | View Plans |
Pluto TV | Free | 720p | Unlimited | View Plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
The Walking Dead season 11 (2021-2022)
The current season of The Walking Dead, which resumes on Sunday, Feb. 20, is only available on AMC and it’s premium streamer, AMC+ (formerly AMC Premiere). AMC is on nearly every cable, satellite, and live TV streaming service (with the exception of Hulu + Live TV), so finding it is no trick.
The initial eight episodes of The Walking Dead’s 11th season can only be found on AMC+. And that’s not the only perk of AMC’s on-demand streaming service: AMC+ makes new episodes of TWD available a full week ahead of their premieres on AMC proper every Sunday.
Best cable providers for AMC and The Walking Dead
Provider | Price |
Channels (including AMC) |
Details |
---|---|---|---|
Spectrum Our pick |
$49.99–$99.99/mo. | 125–200+ | View Plans |
Xfinity | $49.99–$89.99/mo. | 140–220+ | View Plans |
Cox | $25.00–$69.99/mo. | 75–140+ | View Plans |
Suddenlink | $79.99–$129.99/mo. | 225–290+ | View Plans |
Sparklight | $15.00–$84.00/mo. | 27–100+ | View Plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Best satellite providers for AMC and The Walking Dead
Provider | Price |
Channels (including AMC) |
Details |
---|---|---|---|
DISH Our pick |
$64.99–$94.99/mo. | 190–290+ | View Plans |
DIRECTV | $74.99–$149.99/mo. | 160–330+ | View Plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Best live TV streaming providers for AMC and The Walking Dead
Provider | Price |
Channels (including AMC) |
Details |
---|---|---|---|
YouTube TV Our pick |
$64.99/mo. | 100+ | View Plans |
Philo Cheapest |
$25.00/mo. | 60+ | View Plans |
Sling TV | $35.00–$50.00/mo. | 30–50+ | View Plans |
fuboTV | $69.99–$79.99/mo. | 111–166+ | View Plans |
DIRECTV STREAM | $69.99–$149.00/mo. | 65–140+ | View Plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
AMC+ plans and pricing
Service | Price | Video | Streams | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
AMC+ | $8.99/mo. | 1080p, 4K | 5 | View Plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
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Final take: The Walking Dead will never die
Whether you’re a Walking Dead lifer, a curious newbie, or a former fan who dropped out sometime around when Negan and his barbed-wire bat “Lucille” showed up (we feel you), there’s no denying the pop-cultural impact of the series. When you can even buy Walking Dead wine glasses, you know full media saturation has been achieved.
Even though The Walking Dead will finally end in 2022, there’s still plenty of zombie drama to be had from the TWD universe (we’re partial to Fear the Walking Dead—check it out on Hulu). We’re looking forward to the Rick Grimes movies and Tales of the Walking Dead, if a bit skeptical of the Carol and Daryl spinoff—was nothing learned from Hobbes & Shaw?
Where to watch The Walking Dead FAQ
Is The Walking Dead on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video?
Seasons 1–10 of The Walking Dead are available on Netflix. Season 11 is currently only available through AMC on-demand on cable, satellite, or live TV streaming services, and AMC+.
Is AMC free on Amazon Prime Video?
The AMC+ app can be added to Prime Video channels for free, but a subscription to activate it costs $8.99 a month (after a seven-day free trial period). Full seasons or individual episodes of The Walking Dead can be also purchased through Amazon Prime Video.
Where can I watch all seasons of The Walking Dead for free?
You can watch seasons and episodes of The Walking Dead on Pluto TV’s live Stories by AMC channel (135), but only at certain times of the day in random blocks. Also, unlike most Pluto TV live content, The Walking Dead isn’t available in its on-demand library.