‘The Walking Dead’ Live Stream: How to Watch the Season 8 Premiere Online for Free

AMC The Walking Dead Live Stream -- How to watch online

The Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead airs tonight, October 22. It’s been a long wait since fans watched the show’s season 7 finale on April 2. We’ve seen lots of trailers and rumors about what’s might happen, but no one is quite sure what to expect next. And although Fear the Walking Dead certain helped during the break, it definitely wasn’t enough. But today, the big return is here — and we’re also celebrating the 100th episode of The Walking Dead. If you don’t want to be spoiled for tonight’s episode, then you may want to watch the show live, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMC. The episode is an extra 7 minutes long tonight. If you’d like to watch the premiere as it airs and you need to watch it on your computer, phone, or tablet, read on for instructions below. There are options for people with or without cable. We also have details about how to stream it after it’s aired, in case you can’t watch it live.

If You’re in the United States & You Don’t Have a Cable or Satellite Subscription That Includes AMC

Online or with an App Through DirecTV Now

AMC is included in DirecTV Now’s “Live a Little” bundle.

Here’s a complete rundown of DirecTV Now’s “Live a Little” bundle and how to start a free trial:

Total Channels Included: 60-plus, depending on local channels available. You can find the complete channel list right here

Extras: Watch on two different devices at the same time; DVR is in Beta stage

Free Trial: 7 days

Price: $35 per month

How to Sign Up & Watch:

1. Click here to go to the DirecTV Now website

2. Click on “Start your free trial now” and then create an account

3. Select the channel package you want. All bundles include AMC. You can add the Roku on the next step if you want

4. Enter your payment information. The “Live a Little” package costs $35 per month, while there are other options at $50, $60 or $70 per month. If you cancel your subscription within seven days of signing up, you will not be charged

5. Return to the DirecTV Now website to watch AMC live or on-demand content on your desktop. You can also watch on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app, which is free to download. A complete list of compatible devices can be found here

On the Web with Sling TV:

Users without a cable subscription can watch the premiere — and all other AMC programming — through Sling TV, an online streaming service that provides access to a handful of channels for a monthly fee. The service’s Best of Live TV Package, which includes AMC, costs $20 per month. But you can watch a week’s worth of AMC for free via Sling’s free 7-day trial.

To sign up for Sling’s trial using a credit card, follow these steps:

1. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial period ends, you will not be charged.

2. When you sign up, you’ll be prompted to select Sling’s standard Best of Live TV package, which costs $20 per month. You’ll also have the option to add extra packages, all of which come with a monthly fee but are included in the free trial. But if you’re primarily interested in watching the premiere episode, all you need is the standard Best of Live TV package.

3. Download the Sling desktop app, and navigate over to AMC to watch the sixteenth episode.

With an App with Sling TV:

Users with a subscription to Sling TV can watch it on the Sling app, which you can download for free in the App store or the Google Play store. There’s also a Sling app for Roku, Chromecast, Nexus player, ZTE and XBox One. Click here for a full list of compatible devices. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the 7-day trial period ends, you will not be charged.

If You Have a Cable Subscription That Includes AMC

On the Web:

If you have a cable or satellite subscription that includes AMC, you can watch the premiere episode for free, at this link. You’ll have to sign in to watch the full episodes as they air. First you have to choose your cable provider, then you’ll be asked to do an in-home validation. For some, the validation will sign you in automatically if it detects your network. Others may need to create an account and use their cable username and password to complete the process.

If you miss streaming it live on AMC’s website, your opportunity isn’t over. Full videos of each episode are typically available the day after the show airs, for a limited time, for people with a cable subscription. You can go directly to the episodes here. (Note: During the premiere last season, AMC surprised fans by allowing them to watch the complete episode on AMC, after it aired, for free. You can try that again this year, in case AMC decides to do the same thing.)

How to Watch Tomorrow on Mobile or Online

You can also watch the episode on mobile or online after the episode airs. The premiere will be available the day after it airs in a variety of formats. (Sometimes, the episode is released earlier than this.) You can find the episode On Demand or on AMC.com here. If you don’t have a cable subscription, you can still watch the episode by purchasing it on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Xbox. On Amazon, viewers who pre-order Season 8 of The Walking Dead will receive the episodes the day after they broadcast.

On mobile, you can watch the episode via a number of AMC apps on iOS, Android, and Windows. These apps require a cable login to watch anything but a show premiere.

Episode Preview

To get ready for tonight’s premiere, you’ll want to watch a preview first. Here’s a sneak peek. And if you want to count down to the premiere, a fan put together a countdown timer here. If you’re planning a premiere watch party, another fan came up with some ideas for recipes and games and shared them here.

Season 7 Finale Recap & Questions

So exactly where did we leave off last season? Although a big battle was brewing between Negan and Rick’s crew, we didn’t end up with a huge number of deaths. Instead, the only main character to die was Sasha, along with many unnamed people in both groups. Shiva took down a couple people in some epic scenes too.

When the finale began, Sasha had taken a poisoned pill from Eugene to commit suicide. Dwight showed up at Alexandria, wanting to be a turncoat so he could help kill Negan. Rick’s group took all of Oceanside’s guns, with Tara’s help. Gregory had left to visit an unknown location, after apologizing to Maggie for the tension between them. But during that apology, he really looked like he wanted to kill her.

Throughout the finale, we saw Sasha reliving moments with Abraham or imagining how things might have been.

Rick’s group debates about what to do about Dwight. He had murdered Denise. But Dwight said he only followed Negan because of his wife, and now she’s escaped. Dwight tells them that Negan is coming tomorrow with at least 20 Saviors minimum, but he can slow them down and buy them a little time.

Back at the Kingdom, Morgan is dealing with guilt over Benjamin’s death and is wearing his armor. He agrees to accompany Ezekiel as they fight the Saviors.

So it looked like we had The Junkyard Group, Rick’s group, people from the Hillside, and The Kingdom banding together (along with Dwight) to fight the Saviors. But when the Saviors arrive, the Junkyard group — including Jadis — turn on Rick’s group, dismantling the explosives.

But then Negan opens the casket that Sasha is in, and is surprised to learn that she’s a walker. She attacks him and everything goes a little crazy, giving Rick’s group a new chance. But then Negan gets the upper hand again. But right before he kills Carl with Lucille, Ezekiel and the Kingdom show up. They drive the Saviors away.

Back at the Sanctuary, Dwight and Eugene are there with Negan. Negan tells the group that they’re going to war.

Then, back with Rick and company, we hear a heartwarming speech about Glenn.

Everything good that has happened, decisions to love and live and fight for each other, started with Glenn’s decision to help Rick.

One question we were left with was at the end of the Season 7 finale, when Daryl found a small figurine on the ground carved to look like a soldier. It read: “Didn’t know.” Fans believe the statue was left by Dwight, who was carving small statutes back in Season 6 when he first met Daryl.