AMC has officially picked up its companion series for The Walking Dead, handing out a two-season order on Monday.
The untitled series, which will be set in Los Angeles, will debut later this summer with a six-episode season. The second season will air sometime in 2016. Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert are executive producers of the new series, which, like the original, is being produced by AMC Studios.
AMC revealed no plot details for the series, aside from the fact that it will be set in Los Angeles and will not borrow any material from the comics; Kirkman had previously said the Walking Dead comics focus solely on the region depicted in the AMC series. The series will star Cliff Curtis, Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey.
“We take incredibly seriously the notion of building a satisfying companion series to the number one show on television. From the beginning of The Walking Dead on AMC, we’ve been asked questions about what was going on in other parts of the zombie apocalypse, and what it looked like as the world really did ‘turn.’ Through this new series, we’re going to find out,” said Charlie Collier, AMC president.
The two-season pickup is similar to how AMC handled its other spinoff, Better Call Saul, which is in the middle of its freshman run.
Episodes of the series will air internationally on AMC Global, the international AMC-branded TV network, with plans to run episodes within 24 hours of their U.S. premiere.
The Walking Dead remains a ratings behemoth for AMC; the current fifth season is once again the top-rated show in all of TV among the advertiser-preferred adults 18-49 demo.
