The AMC cable network has announced a spin-off zombie series from the megahit The Walking Dead, which will be created by the producers of TWD, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert, and which the network hopes to have on the air in 2015. 
 
The network is referring to the as-yet-unnamed zombie series as "a companion series" to The Walking Dead, which is currently the most popular show on TV in the coveted 18-49 demographic.  TWD creator Robert Kirkman is obviously excited about the possibility of the new show: "After ten years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe.  The opportunity to make a show that isn’t tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing."
 
The new series, which will be set in the same zombie-blighted universe, will feature new characters and will greatly expand The Walking Dead TV franchise, which currently includes a Webseries as well as The Talking Dead, the live post-show extravaganza hosted by Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick (see "AMC Renews 'Talking Dead' & 'Comic Book Men'").  The Fourth Season of The Walking Dead debuts on October 13th on AMC.