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Given the popularity ofThe Walking Dead, it’s no wonder that the hit AMC series has so many spinoffs. While thespinoff about Michonne and Rick Grimeshas gotten plenty of attention,Fear the Walking Deadis likely the spinoff that people are the most familiar with. The first episode premiered inAugust 2015and the final episode aired inNovember 2023. But many might not know that there is also a prequel series calledFear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Waterthat is about the USS Pennsylvania.
WhenFear the Walking Dead’s eighth and last season was announced, theWalking Deadspinoffs were given release windows.Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Waterpremiered in 2022, but many fans may not have gotten the chance to watch it.
Fear the Walking Dead: Dead In the Watertells the story of theUSS Pennsylvania crewsailing close to the Gulf of Mexico. The main character,Jason Riley(Nick Stahl), was a lieutenant working for Teddy in season 6 ofFear the Walking Dead.He appeared in five episodes and now he is a weapons officer who is figuring out if he and his crew members can survive a deadly virus outbreak and fight the walkers who have emerged. Throughout the prequel’s six episodes, Riley and the other characters attempt to escape.
SinceFear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Wateris a prequel, it sets up some important backstory for the main plot ofFear the Walking Dead. SinceFear the Walking Deadis a good spinoff, it makes sense to create a prequel that explores this world even more. In seasons 6 and 7 ofFear the Walking Dead, the USS Pennsylvania is a crucial setting. The Doomsday Cult becomes interested in this vessel, which was a U.S. Navy submarine. While the cult plans a terrifying attack from the submarine, the presence of radiation foils that goal.
Who Stars In Fear The Walking Dead: Dead In The Water?
Whilepost-apocalypse stories are becoming boring,Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Wateris more compelling since it’s set in an interesting location. Watching Jason Riley and his crew make tough, snap-second decisions on the ship is entertaining.
Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Wateris also calledDead in the Water: A Fear the Walking Dead Storyand hassix episodes which are available on AMC+.
WhileFear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Waterwasreleased in 2022, not every fan of the original series got the chance to watch it. As several fans have discussed on Reddit, it can be watched before or afterFear the Walking Deadsince it tells a separate story.
Although fans felt fatigued byThe Walking Deadby theeleventh and final season, the prequelFear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Wateris worth watching. Since there are only six episodes, it’s a quick binge-watch that will add some compelling background to the main storyline of the original series. Just like fans wonder aboutwhat Daryl Dixon did before the series, there are many questions about the USS Pennsylvania.
It’s also possible to watchFear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Waterwithout having seen every episode ofThe Walking Deador evenFear the Walking Dead. AsFear the Walking Deadshowrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson explained in an interview withuk.amc.com, people could watchFear the Walking Deadwithout having seen the original TV series. He said:
“you don’t have to know anything about ‘The Walking Dead’ to become hooked on ‘Fear.’ Speaking with lots of people – with the actors, the producers and some viewers – they all agree that the way we approached the story means you don’t need any prior knowledge of the comics or the other series.”
Erickson continued:
“But we’ve structured it in such a way that if you are a fan of the original graphic novels and you watch “The Walking Dead”, you’ll immediately recognise the mythology and you’ll see how the stories are layered. But you’ll also appreciate the different approach that “Fear” takes; the different point of view it has.”
Erickson’s words can be applied toFear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water. It’s fun for fans of theWalking Dead, which is one of themost interesting 2010s TV shows, to see more of this specific location, but anyone can watch this prequel and then move on to the rest of the popular franchise.
