- AMC unveiled the first trailer for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live on January 10, two years ago.
- The trailer confirmed Rick Grimes’ return and reunited Andrew Lincoln with Danai Gurira’s Michonne.
- The reveal reignited fan excitement and led to the six-episode miniseries that premiered Feb. 24.
Why January 10 matters to The Walking Dead fans
January 10 has become a landmark date for The Walking Dead community. On that day two years ago AMC released the first look trailer for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live — the spinoff that finally reunited Rick Grimes and Michonne on screen.
The trailer wasn’t just promotional material. For many fans, it represented a long-awaited payoff. Andrew Lincoln left the original series in season 9, and Danai Gurira departed in season 10. Rumors about Rick’s future, a planned movie trilogy, and frequent updates had stretched anticipation for years. The January 10 preview delivered clarity and momentum.
What the trailer revealed
The first look showed Rick’s return to the TWD Universe after his dramatic exit — kidnapped by the Civic Republic Military in a storyline that left fans guessing for years. It also teased Michonne’s determined search for him, answering the emotional thread that had run through the later seasons of the original show.
Seeing Lincoln and Gurira together again sparked nostalgia for earlier seasons while setting a fresh stage. The trailer balanced cinematic scope with personal stakes, signaling that the spinoff would focus on character reunion and resolution rather than broadworldbuilding alone.
From trailers to series: the road to The Ones Who Live
The trailer helped set expectations for the show, which arrived as a six-episode miniseries on February 24. What had once been planned as a Rick Grimes movie trilogy evolved—partly due to the pandemic—into this focused television return. The final product delivered the reunion many wanted and restored lively conversation around the TWD Universe.
Why fans still celebrate the date
For long-time followers, January 10 is a reminder of how the franchise can still create moments that feel consequential. The first-look trailer rekindled enthusiasm across social platforms and prompted renewed interest in the broader TWD lineup, including other spinoffs like Daryl Dixon and Dead City.
Even as some series in the franchise wrap up or evolve, the impact of that trailer remains a high point: a single marketing moment that transformed speculation into a concrete return and set the stage for a reunion fans had waited years to see.
Looking ahead
The Walking Dead franchise continues to shift and expand, but January 10 will stay in the fandom’s calendar as the day a trailer changed the conversation — bringing back Rick and Michonne and proving the saga still has stories worth telling.
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