The Walking Dead Just Announced A Holiday Special

The Walking Dead is bringing its own brand of cheer to the holiday season.

By Faith McKay | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

walking dead holiday special

Nothing says holiday cheer like a special from The Walking Dead! Okay, while holiday spirit may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the long-running series, AMC is making it a special part of their Best Christmas Ever lineup.

Chris Hardwick, host of The Talking Dead, will host the holiday special on Sunday, December 13th. Currently, it is expected to stream exclusively on AMC+. This is the network’s own streaming service for premium on-demand viewing. It is ad-free and only available for subscribers in the United States.

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What can we expect to see in the holiday special? So far, we know that cast members will be participating on Zoom as part of a cast special. They’ve told us nothing as to who those cast members may be. It’s expected we’ll see fan-favorite stars from across the franchise, including Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

With ten seasons of the main series, two spin-offs, and so many dead characters, there are a lot of cast members they can choose from. Emily Kinney, who played Beth Greene? Steven Yeun, who played Glenn Rhee? Will they be able to pull in Andrew Lincoln of Rick Grimes fame?

andrew lincoln walking dead

Until AMC gives official word on who will be participating, you can expect a lot of fan speculation and wild rumors. There is always a new theory going around about what will happen next in the world of The Walking Dead. Recently, Andrew Lincoln’s name appeared in an IMDb listing. News spread fast that he’d be showing up as part of World Beyond. An AMC spokesperson has since let us know that this was an error. Andrew Lincoln is not expected to be part of the spin-off series, but new rumors of spin-off movies and other projects continue to circulate.

Whoever does end up being part of The Walking Dead Holiday Special this December, it seems safe to make bets on a few conversation topics. The end of season one of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, for instance, will have aired one week before the holiday special.

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Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon – The Walking Dead _ Season 6, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Season 10 of The Walking Dead ceased airing due to the pandemic. Episodes will pick back up again sometime early in 2021. Due to the time offered by the pandemic, and a writers’ room that fully embraced being remote, they’ve added six additional episodes to the tenth season. This was recently announced on a New York Comic-Con panel. 

The additional episodes are an exceptional boom for the series, which has announced that it will end with season 11. This means that, in addition to the holiday special, there are 30 more episodes remaining of The Walking Dead.

norman reedus

Fortunately, season 10 of the main series went back into production in the fall. While photos have been released from the set to keep the franchise alive, reunions like the holiday special are becoming a solid way to keep the fans engaged during these final two seasons. 

Will they be giving us hints about the rest of season 10? Telling just enough to tease us about how the finale season to come in 2022? Sounds like exactly the kind of wonderful torture The Walking Dead would offer us up for the holiday season. 

Do you think the cast will craft together holiday-themed zombie backgrounds for Zoom? Here’s to hoping Norman Reedus shows up in a Santa hat.