The Walking Dead [1] fans have more than just another new season to celebrate once the show returns. Premiering way back in 2010, AMC's postapocalyptic series has aired a whopping seven seasons so far, and season eight [2] isn't far away. Not only that, but the upcoming premiere marks the 100th episode [3]! That's a lot of cliffhangers, plot twists, and walker-induced anxiety over the years. But the impressive feat might have you asking: how many seasons will the show have, anyway?
At The Walking Dead [4]'s PaleyFest panel in March, showrunner Scott Gimple stated that the first episode of season eight isn't quite so focused on the 100th-episode milestone and is instead "more about setting up the next 100." [5] While he may not have meant a literal 100 more episodes to look forward to, he certainly seems optimistic. And why shouldn't he be? The zombie drama rakes in killer ratings, even at series lows [6].
To put the show's future into perspective, let's take a peek at the OG TWD: the comic book series. Season eight takes its inspiration from "All Out War," [7] the 20th and 21st volumes of the comics. In total, the story spans 12 issues (Nos. 115-126). The comics are currently at issue No. 172, with new ones usually releasing monthly, so the show has a long way to go to catch up to them. And even though comic creator and show writer Robert Kirkman revealed that he knows how the comics will end [8], there would still be plenty of material for the show to adapt whenever that point comes [9]. As long as it remains mostly faithful to the progression of its source material's storylines, like it has so far, it seems we can get excited for hoards of episodes ahead!