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鈥淔ear the Walking Dead,鈥� an AMC show which is set to debut later this month, is a spin-off of the smash hit show 鈥淭he Walking Dead鈥� and has so far gotten mixed reviews from critics.

鈥淔ear鈥� is set to premiere on AMC on Aug. 23 and follows new characters living in the same universe as the 鈥淲alking Dead鈥� characters. The show centers on residents of Los Angeles as a zombie plague starts to become a major problem. (The original show takes place in the South.) 鈥淔ear鈥� stars 鈥淕one Girl鈥� actress Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane, and Cliff Curtis.聽

So far, the show has gotten middling reviews, with writing of early episodes, 鈥淚n some ways, [the show] has the potential to become an illuminating and nuanced companion piece鈥� and 鈥淸it's] off to a very good start鈥� but that it 鈥渋nitially feels too much like a snore鈥� and is 鈥渓ess magnetic than the original.鈥澛�

And what place does a TV spin-off have in today鈥檚 age of acclaimed television? There is always the challenge with a spin-off to recapture the creative success that happened with the first show. However, studio executives are currently in love with them for movies 鈥� mega-franchises like the Marvel and 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� films are currently embracing the spin-off model of having a main narrative in one movie and then focusing on a different character in another.

More common on television right now are shows that are not spin-offs but are coming from the same creator, like the ABC stable of shows created or produced by Shonda Rhimes (鈥淕rey鈥檚 Anatomy,鈥� 鈥淪candal,鈥� 鈥淗ow to Get Away with Murder鈥�) or anthology TV shows that essentially reinvent a show every season like FX鈥檚 鈥淎merican Horror Story鈥� and HBO鈥檚 鈥淭rue Detective.鈥澛�

But AMC is currently airing one of the most high-profile spin-offs on TV right now, 鈥淏etter Call Saul,鈥� which is a spin-off of one of the most well received TV shows of all time, 鈥淏reaking Bad.鈥� Critical reception for 鈥淪aul鈥� has been mixed but the show recently got various Emmy nominations in leading categories.

Meanwhile, superhero TV shows are embracing the model demonstrated at the multiplex with superhero films. The CW鈥檚 schedule of shows is echoing movie trends as its success 鈥淎rrow鈥� has led to current spin-off 鈥淭he Flash鈥� and the upcoming show 鈥淟egends of Tomorrow.鈥� In addition, ABC鈥檚 鈥淎gent Carter鈥� is a spin-off of their show 鈥淢arvel鈥檚 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.鈥�

鈥淪aul鈥� in particular could be an indicator of the future. If the network continues to do well with the show and with 鈥淔ear,鈥� those behind high-profile cable hits could be looking for ways to get another story out of their currently successful programs.