The Walking Dead has successfully branched off into numerous spinoff shows following season 11’s finale, but despite this format working effectively, a twelfth season looks closer than ever. Although The Walking Dead season 11’s ending was supposed to wrap up the main story, it left far too much room to expand upon, hence why Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live all became popular projects. Fans have experienced countless ups and downs while following the original series, but no one seems ready to let the show’s iconic survivors rest, including the creators, who clearly still have big plans.

Dead City‘s second season is set to arrive in May, while Daryl Dixon season 3 will premiere later in 2025, proving the story is not over by any stretch of the imagination. As a result, talk of The Walking Dead being renewed for season 12 has been loud, with Rick Grimes returning for a crossover show seeming more likely after The Ones Who Live confirmed his survival. Scott M. Gimple’s recent comments have only added more fuel to the fire, making a huge project seem inevitable, and while I would love to see it, I still have one major concern.

Scott M. Gimple Confirmed He’d Love The Walking Dead To Return To A Longer Format

The Walking Dead’s Chief Content Officer Is All For 16-Hour Seasons Returning To The Franchise

Scott M. Gimple has been a huge part of The Walking Dead for over a decade, and the Chief Content Officer revealed he would love the TV universe to return to a longer format. In an interview with The Direct, Gimple claimed “My dream would be another 16-hour-a-year series“, suggesting if it was up to him, the franchise would return to its extended seasons. While there is no guarantee he is talking about a twelfth season or a crossover show, it’s hard to imagine The Walking Dead committing to such a large project with completely new characters.

The Walking Dead doesn’t currently have any confirmed projects for 2026.

Therefore, if the franchise ever did go back to 16-hour seasons, surely it would be in a show involving all the major characters. The six-episode format suits spinoffs containing a smaller cast, but 16 episodes would be too much for a show like Daryl Dixon, meaning Gimple’s vision has to be something bigger. He even claimed “We’re talking about that“, and while it’s unclear how a 16-episode series would be executed or who The Walking Dead‘s next main villain would be, it sounds like the creators are already thinking about what this ambitious project could look like.

A 16-Hour Walking Dead Show Sounds Great, But It Would Be Difficult To Bring Everyone Back

The Walking Dead Has A Huge Ensemble Cast Who Seem Very Unlikely To Be Available At The Same Time

As much as I’d love to see another full 16-episode season of The Walking Dead, I’m worried it would be difficult to bring back the entire cast. By the time season 11 wrapped up, the cast had grown incredibly large, making it hard to follow every central survivor. The finale did try and conclude everyone’s story, but some characters felt sidelined, and that’s without Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira’s involvement. Therefore, trying to feature everyone would be tough, especially since so many recurring actors have gone on to find major success elsewhere and would struggle with their busy schedules.

Most of The Walking Dead‘s cast have moved on since season 11, and while the likes of Norman Reedus and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are still involved in spinoffs, they have plenty of other projects on their plate. Trying to bring back busy actors such as Danai Gurira, Ross Marquand, Josh McDermitt, and Khary Payton while getting Walking Dead veterans like Andrew Lincoln, Lauren Cohan, and Melissa McBride to reprise their roles also sounds extremely difficult.

While I’d love nothing more than to see all these great actors on screen together once again, a 16-episode season is a big commitment and would likely put most of their other projects on pause, which feels unrealistic. As a result, I’m worried that the crossover show will omit some key characters if it ever happens, and it simply can’t afford to.

The Walking Dead Needs All Of Its Major Actors For A Crossover Show To Work

A Twelfth Season Can’t Risk Missing Out Key Characters After All These Years

Although The Walking Dead could try and persevere without some of its bigger actors, a crossover only works if all the central characters are involved. Considering how long people have been waiting for the highly anticipated Rick and Daryl reunion, the project would feel incomplete without one of them there. Likewise, Rick has a lot of people to reunite with, and having an old ally be absent from the series would feel strange, even if they tried to give an explanation as to why they weren’t around. However, the long-serving characters aren’t the only ones who need to return.

As harsh as it may sound, The Walking Dead season 12 only works if all the major players are back, and while not everyone needs to be on-screen at once, accommodating differing schedules sounds like an impossible task.

Survivors like Princess, Mercer, and Connie all became key parts of season 11, and continuing the story without them wouldn’t feel right. As harsh as it may sound, The Walking Dead season 12 only works if all the major players are back, and while not everyone needs to be on-screen at once, accommodating differing schedules sounds like an impossible task. If the producers could somehow get everyone signed up for a new installment, I’d take it in a heartbeat, but unless that happens, a crossover show may be wishful thinking, despite how exciting it could be.