Fear the Walking Dead season 8 explained

Season Number:	8
Bgcolour:	3E5511
Network:	AMC
Num Episodes:	12
Episode List:	List of Fear the Walking Dead episodes

The eighth and final season of Fear the Walking Dead, an American horror-drama television series on AMC, premiered on May 14, 2023, and concluded on November 19, 2023, consisting of twelve episodes. The series is a companion series to The Walking Dead, which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The executive producers are Kirkman, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, Gale Anne Hurd, Scott M. Gimple, Michael E. Satrazemis, Andrew Chambliss, and Ian B. Goldberg, with Chambliss and Goldberg as showrunners for their fifth and final season.

The season takes place seven years after the previous season and has the characters living on the island known as "PADRE".^[1]

Cast

The eighth season features ten actors receiving main cast billing status, with all but one of them returning from the seventh season. This was the first season not to include Mo Collins, Colby Hollman and Keith Carradine, who were all credited as main cast members in previous seasons. Alycia Debnam-Carey, who appeared as a series regular for the first seven seasons, returns in a guest role. Alexa Nisenson also returns in a guest role after being a regular since the fifth season. Kim Dickens and Daniel Sharman rejoin as series regulars after the former guest starred in the previous season and having last been a regular in the fourth season; while the latter last appeared as a regular in the third season.^[2]

Main cast

See main article: List of Fear the Walking Dead characters.

• Lennie James as Morgan Jones / "Nightingale": A pragmatic man, formerly a part of Rick Grimes' group on The Walking Dead, whose adopted daughter was captured by PADRE, which forced him to work for the organization.
• Kim Dickens as Madison Clark / "Lark": A cunning and domineering former high school guidance counselor, and mother of Nick and Alicia. She was recruited by PADRE following her presumed death and now is imprisoned at PADRE's island after rebelling.
• Colman Domingo as Victor Strand / "Anton": A smart and sophisticated conman-turned-businessman who formed friendships with Madison and Alicia. He is the reformed former leader of the Tower who disappeared when Morgan's group was captured by PADRE, having since joined a community of German survivors.
• Danay García as Luciana Galvez / "Polar Bear": A former member of the La Colonia community from Mexico who has since become the leader of a vast supply operation spread across several states that aims to help desperate survivors, taking up the cause and callsign of Clayton and his group of truckers.
• Austin Amelio as Dwight / "Red Kite": A reformed former lieutenant of the Saviors, who was exiled from Virginia by Rick Grimes' group on The Walking Dead and eventually reunited with his wife, Sherry. He is now working for PADRE where their son, Finch, was born.
• Karen David as Grace Mukherjee / "Heron": A woman who used to work at a nuclear power plant that melted down and was in a relationship with Morgan Jones, with whom she has an adopted daughter, Mo. She is now working for PADRE, maintaining its radio communication.
• Christine Evangelista as Sherry / "Starling": Dwight's wife who fled across the country to Texas after escaping the Saviors on The Walking Dead. She is now working for PADRE where their son, Finch, was born.
• Jenna Elfman as June Dorie / "Blue Jay": A kind and distrustful nurse who was married to John Dorie. She is now living alone, hiding from PADRE.
• Rubén Blades as Daniel Salazar: A courageous and ruthlessly pragmatic former Sombra Negra member who is leading a resistance movement against PADRE.
• Daniel Sharman as Troy Otto: The charismatic and impulsive son of Jeremiah Otto, who survived his apparent death at the end of the third season and now leads a militia while seeking revenge on Madison and her allies.^[3]

Supporting cast

• Maya Eshet as Sam Krennick / "Shrike": The ruthless co-leader of PADRE alongside her brother, Ben.
• Zoey Merchant as Morgan "Mo" / "Wren": Morgan and Grace's adopted daughter who was kidnapped by PADRE when she was one-year-old and has been trained as a warrior.
• Jayla Walton as Odessa Sanderson / "Dove": A prefect at PADRE who acts as Mo's tutor. She is the daughter of Ava Sanderson, who Madison encountered in the previous season.
• Gavin Warren as "Finch": Dwight and Sherry's son.
• Daniel Rashid as Ben Krennick / "Crane": The cunning co-leader of PADRE alongside his sister, Sam.
• Isha Blaaker as Frank: Strand's German husband and Klaus' father.
• Julian Grey as Klaus: Frank's son and Strand's adopted son.
• Randy Bernales as Russell: Troy's second-in-command.
• Antonella Rose as Tracy Otto: Troy's rebellious daughter.

Guest cast

• Jonathan Medina as Adrian: A member of Daniel's resistance movement whose daughter was kidnapped by PADRE.
• Michael B. Silver as Major General Krennick: Sam and Ben's father who is a high-ranking officer in the U.S. military during the early days of the apocalypse.
• Alexa Nisenson as Charlie / "Iron Tiger": A former spy for the Vultures, now an adult, who was cured of radiation sickness by PADRE before joining Luciana's supply operation under the call sign "Iron Tiger".
• Jack Mikesell as Jay: A diabetic survivor who encounters Dwight.
• Alex Morf as Marty: A hostile survivor whose group occupies the Sanctuary.
• Nona Parker Johnson as Ada: The leader of a group of survivors who continue Alicia's legacy by masquerading as her.
• Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark: The fiery yet compassionate daughter of Madison. After she leaves the group in Texas to help desperate survivors in the previous season, her fate has since become unknown after the re-emergence of Troy and his group, prompting Madison to search for her.

Episodes

See also: List of Fear the Walking Dead episodes.

Production

The series was renewed for an eighth season in December 2021. Upon the renewal announcement, it was confirmed that Kim Dickens, who played the lead character during the first four seasons, would rejoin the series as a regular for the eighth season after first returning as a guest star for the seventh season.^{[4] [5]} In January 2023, it was confirmed the eighth season would be its last and would consist of 12 episodes split into two six-episode parts.^[6]

Production for the eighth season moved from Texas to Savannah, Georgia.^[7] In April 2022, co-showrunner Andrew Chambliss said they were in the planning stages of the season.^[8] The final season began filming in August 2022^[9] and concluded in March 2023.^[10] For the final season, Colman Domingo is credited as a producer.^[11] The sixth episode of the season marks the final appearance of Morgan Jones portrayed by Lennie James, whose character originally debuted in the pilot episode of The Walking Dead which aired in 2010.^[12] In July 2023, it was confirmed that Daniel Sharman would reprise his role as Troy Otto in the second half of the season. His character was presumably killed off at the end of the third season.^[3] Danay García directed an episode of the series, making her the fourth cast member to direct an episode.^[13]

Release

The season premiered on May 14, 2023, on AMC, with each episode available three days early via AMC+.^[14] The second half of the season premiered on October 22, 2023,^[15] and the series finale aired on November 19.^[16]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 60% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Fear the Walking Dead showrunners explain that big premiere time jump . Entertainment Weekly . Dalton . Ross . May 14, 2023 . May 19, 2023.
2. AMC Networks Announces Premiere Timing for New Series in "The Walking Dead" Universe and Reveals First Look at "Fear the Walking Dead's" Eighth and Final Season . AMC . The Futon Critic . January 10, 2023 . March 30, 2023.
3. Web site: Bonomolo . Cameron . July 23, 2023 . Fear the Walking Dead Brings Back Daniel Sharman's Troy Otto . August 20, 2023 . Comicbook.com.
4. Web site: Fear TWD Renewed for Season 8 — With Kim Dickens Returning as Madison . TVLine . Charlie . Mason . December 5, 2021 . December 6, 2021.
5. Web site: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Renewed For Season 8, Kim Dickens Returns As Series Regular . Deadline . Nellie . Andreeva . December 5, 2021 . December 5, 2021.
6. Web site: Otterson . Joe . January 10, 2023 . 'Fear the Walking Dead' to End With Season 8 at AMC . January 10, 2023 . Variety.
7. Web site: Fear the Walking Dead Leaving Texas for Georgia . . Cameron . Bonomolo . November 11, 2021 . May 5, 2022.
8. Web site: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Stars, EP on Moving the Show to Georgia in Season 8 . April 20, 2022 . May 5, 2022 . . Alex . Zalben.
9. Web site: Fear the Walking Dead Season 8 Starts Filming . . Cameron . Bonomolo . August 9, 2022 . February 24, 2023.
10. Web site: Fear The Walking Dead Stars Say Farewell In BTS Images As Season 8 Wraps . . Dan . Zinski . March 11, 2023 . March 30, 2023.
11. Web site: Fear the Walking Dead season 8 wrapping according to Colman Domingo . Undead Walking . Renne . Hansen . March 3, 2023 . June 5, 2023.
12. Web site: Lennie James Exits 'Fear The Walking Dead' in Mid-Season Finale: "Yeah, I'm Done" . Decider . Alex . Zalben . June 18, 2023 . June 19, 2023.
13. Web site: How Fear the Walking Dead got a 'karmically correct' series finale . Entertainment Weekly . Dalton . Ross . September 21, 2023 . October 22, 2023.
14. Web site: How to Watch Fear the Walking Dead's Season 8 Premiere Early . ComicBook. Cameron . Bonomolo . May 10, 2023 . May 15, 2023.
15. Web site: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Sets Return Date for Final Season . Collider . Britta . Devore . July 21, 2023 . July 23, 2023.
16. Web site: Shows A-Z – fear the walking dead on amc . . September 29, 2023.
17. Web site: Fear the Walking Dead (2023) . Rotten Tomatoes . August 24, 2023.