How To Watch “The Walking Dead” Online In The UK: Season 9 And Past Seasons
The Walking Dead is back for its 9th season – with the promise of an explosive season. After all, series regular – and the star of the show – Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) is expected to leave the series this year. UK Cord cutters might wonder – where can I watch The Walking Dead online, or on TV, without a cable TV subscription? There are several options which I’ll cover here.
For those who are either new to the series, or need a refresher, The Walking Dead is a TV series based on the comic book created by Robert Kirkman. The TV version was originally developed by Frank Darabont (who directed The Shawshank Redemption, among others), who left during the second season due to creative and financial differences.
The Walking Dead is a horror drama, showing a post apocalyptic world infested with zombies, or “Walkers” as they’re called on the show. The lead character (for now), Rick Grimes, is a former sheriff, who leads a group of survivors, including his wife, son and eventually daughter.
Season 8, which aired last year, showed us the ongoing war between Negan (Jeffery Dean Morgan), and – basically the rest of the world. Season 9 is likely to introduce new villains.
Photo: Gene Page / AMC
Where Can I Watch The Walking Dead In The UK – Past And Current Episodes?
In the US, The Walking Dead airs on the AMC cable network, and in the UK it normally airs on Fox UK. Cord cutters, however, also have several options for watching the show – both past seasons and the newest one. First, no – The Walking Dead does NOT air on Netflix in the UK. It does in some countries – but alas, not here.
Season 9 is set to premiere in the US on Sunday, October 8. In the UK, it will premiere the following day – on Fox UK, and on demand via NOW TV.
NOW TV – Season 9 And Past Seasons
Sky’s on-demand service, meant to compete with Netflix, offers a cheaper price over Sky’s cable TV offerings.
All past seasons (1-8) of The Walking Dead are currently available as box-sets on NOW TV – but only until November 30, so don’t wait too long to start watching. Season 9 is going to air on THE NEXT DAY after its US airing, at 10pm – so that means every Monday at 10.
Pros:
- Cheap, monthly subscription (£7.99 a month) – includes The Walking Dead and many other programmes
- Includes the newest episodes, each one added shortly after airing in the US
- You can get a 14-days Free Trial.
Cons:
- Picture Quality: Only gets up to 720p, without Full HD (that’s a limitation of NOW TV)
- No subtitles (Though we’re waiting to see – perhaps Season 9 will finally have subtitles).
Watch On: NOW TV Smart Box, Chromecast, Apple TV, Gaming consoles, Certain models of Smart TVs (No Amazon Fire TV)
Amazon Instant Video – Season 9 and Past Seasons
Amazon’s video on demand library offers both the older seasons and the new episodes. There’s a catch, however – while Series 1 to Series 7 are available via Amazon Prime Instant Video (Read our review), for the same subscription fee you normally pay, Season 8 is only available, for now, as a separate purchase.
As for Season 9, once it starts you will be able to buy a “Season Pass”, and get a message every time a new episode is available – which is usually shortly after it airs in the US.
Pros:
- Several seasons available as part of the normal subscription
- Full HD quality (1080p)
- Subtitles!
Cons:
- Series 8 (and 9) require a separate purchase
Watch On: Amazon’s website, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Smartphones, Gaming consoles (NO Chromecast or Apple TV).
Click Here To Get a 30 Days Free Trial of Prime Video (For Series 1 to Series 5 of The Walking Dead).
Click Here To Check The Purchase Price For Series 8+9 On Amazon Instant Video.
Google Play Store – Season 9 And Past Seasons
Google’s play store offers all past seasons of The Walking Dead, and will offer the upcoming new episodes, which will be available shortly after they air. However, it’s a video on demand store – there are no subscription options, and you would have to buy each episode separately.
Pros:
- Full HD (1080p) quality
- Subtitles
Cons:
- No subscription – need to buy each series separately.
Watch On: Chromecast, certain models of Smart TVs, Roku, smartphones and certain other devices via the YouTube app (No direct Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV support).
Click Here To Check Prices On The Google Play Store.
Happy Zombie (sorry, walkers) Hunting!
[Featured Photo by Gene Page/AMC]
