‘The Walking Dead’: When Is the Season 11 Premiere?

The Walking Dead is officially coming to an end. On Wednesday, the TV world was rocked with the news that the series would be ending after an expanded Season 11. With only a total of 31 episodes left to air until the series is off the air for good, when, exactly, does TWD Season 11 premiere?

Well before AMC confirmed that the series would be ending, The Walking Dead was renewed for Season 11 in October of 2019, just ahead of the Season 10 premiere. Unlike past seasons, however, the newest season will not premiere in October. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, production on The Walking Dead was delayed, affecting not only Season 11, but also Season 10. The Season 10 premiere was initially set to air in April but will now premiere its intended season finale on Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. ET. Six additional episodes, which will be considered part of Season 10, will be shot and aired in early 2021.

Although an exact premiere date for Season 11 has not yet been confirmed, Comicbook.com reports that the 24-episode Season 11 will air during the fall of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. At this time, it is unclear if the season will be broken into three eight-part segments to two 12-part halves. What is known, however, is that Season 11 will be the longest season in TWD‘s history, with most previous seasons having ticked in at 16 episodes. Due to the expanded episode count for the current season, Season 10 will clock in as the second-longest season with 22 episodes.

Season 11 will prove to be a big one for the series not only because it marks the final season, but also because Season 11 will see the return of Lauren Cohan’s Maggie Greene. Cohan had left the series in Season 9 and is set to make her official return in the Season 10 finale before returning in a permanent capacity in Season 11.

In addition to The Walking Dead‘s final season, fans have two new spinoff series to look forward to. An untitled project will focus on Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride’s Carol Peletier. Created by Walking Dead chief content officer Scott M. Gimple and current TWD showrunner Angela Kang, the series is slated to premiere in 2022. A second series, Tales of the Walking Dead, will serve as an anthology and focus on new or existing characters. That series does not have a tentative premiere date.

More pressing, fans are gearing up for the Season 6 premiere of TWD’s first spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead, which is set to debut on Oct. 11. The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the newest spinoff, will debut following The Walking Dead Season 10 finale on Oct. 4.