Fear the Walking Dead is a spin-off prequel to the highly successful series The Walking Dead, set in the same universe but focusing on a different group of characters and a different location. The show was created by Robert Kirkman, Dave Erickson, and Gale Anne Hurd, with the first episode premiering on AMC on August 23, 2015.
The series is set in Los Angeles at the onset of the zombie apocalypse, providing a fresh perspective on the Walking Dead universe, specifically during the early stages of the outbreak. Unlike The Walking Dead, which starts after the world has already been ravaged by the apocalypse, Fear the Walking Dead explores how society collapses and how individuals cope with the sudden and violent breakdown of civilization.
The show begins by focusing on Madison Clark (played by Kim Dickens), a high school guidance counselor, and her blended family, including her fiancΓ© Travis Manawa (played by Cliff Curtis), his son Chris (played by Lorenzo Henrie), and Madison’s two children, Alicia (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Nick (played by Frank Dillane). At first, the characters are unaware of the full extent of the apocalypse, but as the series progresses, they begin to witness the collapse of society and the rise of the undead.
As the outbreak spreads rapidly, the family must navigate a chaotic and dangerous new world where the dead walk among the living. The series focuses on the moral dilemmas, relationships, and survival tactics that the characters must employ as they attempt to survive in a world overrun by the infected.