Ever since AMC announced that The Walking Dead would be ending after season 11, fans have been more grateful than ever that the franchise has a bunch more spin off series in the works.
One of those eagerly anticipated outings is The Walking Dead: World Beyond, which is set 10 years into the outbreak and follows a group of youngsters as they navigate the post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately though, it's received mixed reviews ahead of its premiere next month (Sunday, October 4).
Digital Spy's David Opie says the show suffers from "a considerable lack of tension" and doesn't offer much that we haven't seen before, writing: "Watching survivors learn how to kill zombies again is about as thrilling as watching teenagers play monopoly, something which also happens in the first two episodes of World Beyond.
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"In a franchise which often leans too far into the bleak reality of apocalyptic life, there is something to be said for this more hopeful optimism. Unfortunately, World Beyond moves too far in the opposite direction."
Elsewhere, Den of Geek's Ron Hogan gave the first few episodes four out of five stars, as he praised showrunner Matt Negrete – who was a writer on TWD – specifically.
"It's both the world beyond Rick Grimes and company struggling for survival against The Whisperers and a metaphor for a young person's journey from the familiarity and routine of gym class, student government, and homework into the larger, scarier world beyond known as adulthood," Hogan explained in his review.
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"Growing up is terrifying even in a world without zombies; in this world beyond our own, growing up might be the last thing a high schooler ever does."
ComicBook's Cameron Bonomolo says World Beyond looks to spark the beginning of a "brave and different direction" for the ever-expanding franchise, while TV Line's Charlie Mason said they were, straight up, not a fan of the opening instalments and the show is destined to be "undead on arrival".
cnet's Richard Trenholm shared a similar viewpoint, having written: "Let's call it Booksmart with zombies. Stand By Me with more corpses. The Breakfast Club with actual clubs.
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"It might not be the splatterfest hardcore horror fans want, but it does invite a wider audience. World Beyond is basically the young adult take on The Walking Dead, and that's fine."
Lastly, Variety's Daniel D'Addario called it an "effective look" at life once the one we know has disappeared and TV Guide's Candice Frederick said: "This latest installment impressively pulls back the layers to show how even if you build around it, the decayed world is still in plain view.
"Still, World Beyond doesn't offer audiences fresh ideas or even fascinating characters for which to root. Rather – regardless of where you think they fit on the morality scale – it is the same level of banal. Even the zombies don't seem all that pressed to attack them."
The Walking Dead: World Beyond will premiere on Sunday, October 4 on AMC in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
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