AMC
If you’re watching The Walking Dead Season 9 premiere tonight, then you might notice that the episode lasts significantly longer than expected. It’s not out of the ordinary for AMC to have extra-long episodes of The Walking Dead, and we’re being treated to one tonight for the premiere.
Tonight’s episode is airing from 9 p.m. Eastern to 10:26 p.m., a full 86 minutes. Then Talking Dead will air immediately after the episode ends at 10:26 p.m. Eastern.
This is a game-changing episode. It’s the first episode since Angela Kang replaced Scott Gimple as the showrunner for the series. This is also the beginning of the season that features Andrew Lincoln’s exit as Rick Grimes. Fans are divided about his exit and aren’t quite sure how the show will go on without him.
Tonight’s episode is called “A New Beginning.” The synopsis reads: “Rick and his group make a risky run into Washington, D.C. to search for artifacts they will need to build the civilization he and Carl envisioned.”
The group is going on a mission to find supplies at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. This promises to be an intriguing episode. Interestingly, we’ll be seeing the nation’s capital post-apocalyptic style shortly after seeing the capital of Texas post-apocalyptic style on Fear the Walking Dead. Both episodes feature shots of a broken-down, dilapidated Capitol building in the background.
The episode also kicks off after an 18-month time jump, where Rick is trying to help a number of communities thrive as partners, in the way that Carl had envisioned. But there are still threats to deal with and in-fighting that could threaten to tear all of that apart.