The John Hughes vibes on this new Walking Dead spinoff trailer are extraordinarily bizarre
Reassuring us all that Ducky-esque “I will wear a corduroy suit, because that is what having a personality looks like” teens will also survive the zombie apocalypse, AMC released the first trailer for its still-untitled third Walking Dead TV show today. And we’re going to be honest with you here: It’s one of the most tonally bizarre things we’ve seen in months, with a soft-pastel soundtrack, puke jokes, and the general sense that, hey kids, growing up in an undead wasteland isn’t all that different from high school, ARE WE RIGHT?! (That super-trendy no-caps “got milk?” font on the interstitials really doesn’t help.)
The series, set for a Spring 2020 debut, stars Aliyah Royale, Annet Mahendru, Alexa Mansour, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston, and Nico Tortorella as a crew of teens who’ve lived most of their life safely behind walls, separate from the zombies (sorry, “empties”) without. When they’re forced to venture outside, will these plucky kids learn about the qualities buried deep inside themselves? (Metaphorically, anyway; so far, the series is looking to be pretty light on instances of people being ripped limb from limb by the shambling hordes.) Given that its stark brutality is one of its biggest selling points, it’s incredibly strange to see such a soft-focus take on the world of The Walking Dead, where these hopeful, lovelorn youths would last approximately 7 seconds before unceremoniously getting et. That being said, we’ve never seen someone puke on a zombie before, so hey, kudos for that.