The fifth season of ''
Fear the Walking Dead'', an American horror-drama television series on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** AM ...
, premiered on June 2, 2019, and concluded on September 29, 2019, consisting of sixteen episodes. The series is a
companion series to ''
The Walking Dead'', which is based on the
comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman,
Tony Moore, and
Charlie Adlard
Charles Adlard is a British comic book artist known for his work on books such as '' The Walking Dead'' and ''Savage''.
Career
Adlard began his work in the UK on ''White Death'' with Robbie Morrison and '' 2000 AD'' series including ''Judge Dre ...
, with the season containing the second
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
character between the two series with the introduction of
Dwight Dwight may refer to:
People
* Dwight (given name)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer
*New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors
* ...
(
Austin Amelio
Austin Amelio (born April 27, 1988) is an American actor best known for his role as Dwight on '' The Walking Dead'', '' Fear the Walking Dead'' and his role as Nesbit on '' Everybody Wants Some!!''
Biography
Born on April 27, 1988, in Austin, ...
), the first being
Morgan Jones Morgan Jones may refer to:
*Morgan Jones (actor, born 1879) (1879–1951), American silent film actor and screenwriter
*Morgan Jones (actor, born 1928) (1928–2012), American film and television actor
*Morgan Jones (broadcaster), Welsh television ...
in the fourth season. The executive producers are Kirkman, David Alpert,
Greg Nicotero
Gregory Nicotero (born March 15, 1963) is an American special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director. His first major job in special effects makeup was on the George A. Romero film ''Day of the Dead'' (1985), under the tutelag ...
,
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd (born October 25, 1955) is an American film and television producer, the founder of Valhalla Entertainment (formerly Pacific Western Productions), and a former recording secretary for the Producers Guild of America.
Early life
Hu ...
,
Scott M. Gimple,
Andrew Chambliss
Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer and producer.
He is well known for working on series such as '' Dollhouse'', ''The Vampire Diaries'', and was an executive producer on '' Once Upon a Time''. He is currently the executive prod ...
, and
Ian B. Goldberg
Ian B. Goldberg is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. He is besy known for his work as the writer of the films '' The Autopsy of Jane Doe'' (2016) and '' Eli'' (2019), as well as co-showrunner along with Andrew ...
, with Chambliss and Goldberg as
showrunners
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
for the second consecutive season.
The season follows the group of survivors led by Morgan Jones (
Lennie James
Lennie Michael James (born 11 October 1965) is a British actor, screenwriter, and playwright. His work includes playing Morgan Jones in the television series, '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, '' Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring ...
) and
Alicia Clark
Alicia Clark is a fictional character in the AMC television series '' Fear the Walking Dead'', created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson. Portrayed by Alycia Debnam-Carey, Alicia is the daughter of Madison Clark, the former main protagonist. Sh ...
(
Alycia Debnam-Carey
Alycia Jasmin Debnam-Carey (born 20 July 1993) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her portrayals of the characters Lexa on the dystopian science fiction series ''The 100'' (2014–2016; 2020) and Alicia Clark on the horror drama se ...
) as they search for other survivors, looking to provide help for others in an effort to make up for the wrongdoings from their pasts.
Cast
The fifth season featured eleven actors receiving main cast billing status, with eight returning from the fourth season, while three new cast members are introduced.
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...
returned in the fifth season as Daniel Salazar, who didn't appear at all in the fourth season.
Austin Amelio
Austin Amelio (born April 27, 1988) is an American actor best known for his role as Dwight on '' The Walking Dead'', '' Fear the Walking Dead'' and his role as Nesbit on '' Everybody Wants Some!!''
Biography
Born on April 27, 1988, in Austin, ...
(who was a main cast member in ''
The Walking Dead''), moved to the main cast after his departure from ''The Walking Dead''. Alexa Nisenson was promoted from recurring status and
Karen David
Karen Shenaz David (born 15 April 1979) is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter, best known for portraying Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia in ABC's fairytale-themed musical-comedy television series ''Galavant'', as we ...
was added to the main cast. This was the first season not to include
Kim Dickens
Kimberly Jan Dickens (born June 18, 1965) is an American actress. Her film debut was in the 1995 comedy film ''Palookaville (film), Palookaville''. Dickens played lead roles in the films ''Truth or Consequences, N.M. (film), Truth or Consequences ...
and
Frank Dillane
Frank Stephenson Dillane (born 21 April 1991) is an English actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Nick Clark on '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2015–2018) and 16-year-old Tom Riddle in the film ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ...
, who were both credited as main cast members in previous seasons.
Main cast
*
Lennie James
Lennie Michael James (born 11 October 1965) is a British actor, screenwriter, and playwright. His work includes playing Morgan Jones in the television series, '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, '' Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring ...
as
Morgan Jones Morgan Jones may refer to:
*Morgan Jones (actor, born 1879) (1879–1951), American silent film actor and screenwriter
*Morgan Jones (actor, born 1928) (1928–2012), American film and television actor
*Morgan Jones (broadcaster), Welsh television ...
: A pragmatic man, formerly a part of
Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Creat ...
' group on ''
The Walking Dead'', who leads a pacifist agenda.
*
Alycia Debnam-Carey
Alycia Jasmin Debnam-Carey (born 20 July 1993) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her portrayals of the characters Lexa on the dystopian science fiction series ''The 100'' (2014–2016; 2020) and Alicia Clark on the horror drama se ...
as
Alicia Clark
Alicia Clark is a fictional character in the AMC television series '' Fear the Walking Dead'', created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson. Portrayed by Alycia Debnam-Carey, Alicia is the daughter of Madison Clark, the former main protagonist. Sh ...
: The fiery yet compassionate daughter of
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
, and
Nick
Nick may refer to:
* Nick (given name)
* A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat
* British slang for being arrested
* British slang for a police station
* British slang for stealing
* Short for nickname
Place ...
's sister.
*
Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig (born ) is an American actress and model. She is known for playing Shannon Rutherford on the ABC television series ''Lost'' (2004–2006; 2010), Kim Mills in the '' Taken'' trilogy (2008–2014), Irina in ''The Twilight Sag ...
as Althea "Al" Szewczyk-Przygocki: A curious and tactical journalist.
*
Colman Domingo
Colman Jason Domingo (born November 28, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director widely known for his performance as Mr. Bones in the Broadway musical '' The Scottsboro Boys'' (2011), and for his role as recovering drug addict Ali on HBO ...
as
Victor Strand: A smart and sophisticated conman-turned-businessman, who formed friendships with Madison and Alicia.
*
Danay García
Danay Aguilar García (born July 5, 1984) is a Cuban-born actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Sofía Lugo on Fox's drama series ''Prison Break'' (2007–2009) and Luciana Galvez on AMC's horror drama series '' Fear the Walkin ...
as Luciana Galvez: A strong and cautious former member of the La Colonia community in
Tijuana
Tijuana ( ,["Tijuana"](_blank)
(US) and [< ...]
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and Nick's former girlfriend.
*
Garret Dillahunt
Garret Lee Dillahunt (born November 24, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in television, including the roles Burt Chance on the Fox sitcom ''Raising Hope'', for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Aw ...
as John Dorie: A lonesome and friendly police officer who is in a relationship with June.
* Alexa Nisenson as Charlie: A young girl who was a spy for the Vultures until she defected to Morgan's group.
*
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary Elfman (née Butala, born 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom ''Dharma & Greg'' (1997–2002), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Televisi ...
as June: A kind nurse who is in a relationship with John.
*
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...
as
Daniel Salazar
Daniel Salazar is a fictional character in the television series '' Fear the Walking Dead'', portrayed by Panamanian actor Rubén Blades. The character was created by Robert Kirkman, showrunner Dave Erickson and screenwriter Marco Ramirez.
Charact ...
: A courageous and pragmatic former
Sombra Negra
The ''Sombra Negra'' (Spanish for "Black Shadow"), also known as ''El Clan de Planta'' ("The Plant Clan"), are (as of 2014) death squad groups based in El Salvador, allegedly composed mostly of police and military personnel, that target criminal ...
member, previously missing since the destruction of the Gonzales dam.
*
Karen David
Karen Shenaz David (born 15 April 1979) is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter, best known for portraying Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia in ABC's fairytale-themed musical-comedy television series ''Galavant'', as we ...
as Grace Mukherjee: A mysterious woman who used to work at a nuclear power plant that melted down near the site where the plane of Morgan's group crashed.
*
Austin Amelio
Austin Amelio (born April 27, 1988) is an American actor best known for his role as Dwight on '' The Walking Dead'', '' Fear the Walking Dead'' and his role as Nesbit on '' Everybody Wants Some!!''
Biography
Born on April 27, 1988, in Austin, ...
as
Dwight Dwight may refer to:
People
* Dwight (given name)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer
*New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors
* ...
: A reluctant former lieutenant of the Saviors, who was exiled from Virginia by Rick Grimes' group on ''The Walking Dead''. He is currently searching for his missing wife Sherry, who disappeared after fleeing the Saviors.
Supporting cast
*
Mo Collins
Maureen Ann Collins (born July 7, 1965) is an American actress and comedian who was a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series '' Mad TV''. Collins became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show.
She was ...
as Sarah Rabinowitz: The adoptive sister of Wendell and a former
Marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
.
*
Daryl Mitchell as Wendell: The adoptive brother of Sarah who uses a
wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...
.
*
Matt Frewer
Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is an American-Canadian actor, singer and comedian. He portrayed the 1980s icon Max Headroom in the 1985 TV movie and 1987 television series of the same names.
He became prominent when playing roles ...
as Logan: The former partner of Clayton (aka "Polar Bear") who tricks Morgan's group and seizes the denim factory for himself.
* Bailey Gavulic as Annie: A teenage survivor and sister to Dylan and Max.
* Ethan Suess as Max: A teenage survivor and brother to Annie and Dylan.
* Cooper Dodson as Dylan: Annie and Max's younger brother.
* Mikala Gibson as Doris: Logan's right-hand woman.
*
Sydney Lemmon
Sydney Noël Lemmon (born August 10, 1990) is an American actress. Lemmon graduated from Yale School of Drama at Yale University. She stars as Ana Helstrom in the Hulu series '' Helstrom''.
She has appeared in the HBO series ''Succession''. Le ...
as Isabelle: A CRM pilot who befriends Althea.
* Peggy Schott as Tess: A woman who lived with her son and husband and had never left home until her husband died.
* Colby Hollman as Wes: A nihilistic painter who allies with Morgan's group.
*
Peter Jacobson
Peter Jacobson (born March 24, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Chris Taub on the Fox medical drama series ''House''. He also starred on the USA Network science fiction drama ''Colony'' as former Proxy Snyde ...
as Jacob Kessner: A
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
who joins Morgan's group.
*
Colby Minifie
Colby Minifie (born January 31, 1992) is an American actress. She began acting at the age of eleven and was a YoungArts scholar; she graduated from the City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public univ ...
as Virginia: An antagonistic leader of the Pioneers.
* Holly Curran as Janis: A woman who called Alicia and Strand for help and was saved by Wes. She later joined Morgan's group. She is Tom's sister.
* Joe Massingill as Tom: A man who was being wanted by Virginia and who stole gas from Morgan and Al. He later joined Morgan's group. He is the brother of Janis.
Episodes
Production
In July 2018, AMC renewed the series for a fifth season.
Andrew Chambliss
Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer and producer.
He is well known for working on series such as '' Dollhouse'', ''The Vampire Diaries'', and was an executive producer on '' Once Upon a Time''. He is currently the executive prod ...
and
Ian Goldberg
Ian Avrum Goldberg (born March 31, 1973) is a cryptographer and cypherpunk. He is best known for breaking Netscape's implementation of SSL (with David Wagner),
and for his role as chief scientist of Radialpoint (formerly Zero Knowledge Syste ...
have been the showrunners since the fourth season.
Casting
In December 2018, it was reported that
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...
would return in the fifth season as
Daniel Salazar
Daniel Salazar is a fictional character in the television series '' Fear the Walking Dead'', portrayed by Panamanian actor Rubén Blades. The character was created by Robert Kirkman, showrunner Dave Erickson and screenwriter Marco Ramirez.
Charact ...
. It was also reported that
Daniel Sharman
Daniel Andrew Sharman (born 25 April 1986) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Isaac Lahey on the television series ''Teen Wolf'' (2012–2014), Kaleb Westphall / Kol Mikaelson on '' The Originals'' (2014–2015), Troy Otto on '' ...
would return as Troy Otto, however, in April 2019, showrunner Ian Goldberg confirmed he would not return, stating "Yes, that's just a rumor. We thought he was awesome on the show, but he's not returning." In January 2019, it was reported that
Austin Amelio
Austin Amelio (born April 27, 1988) is an American actor best known for his role as Dwight on '' The Walking Dead'', '' Fear the Walking Dead'' and his role as Nesbit on '' Everybody Wants Some!!''
Biography
Born on April 27, 1988, in Austin, ...
would join the cast as
Dwight Dwight may refer to:
People
* Dwight (given name)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer
*New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors
* ...
, who last appeared in the
eighth season of ''
The Walking Dead''.
Alexa Nisenson was promoted to the main cast after recurring in the fourth season as Charlie.
In March 2019, it was reported that
Karen David
Karen Shenaz David (born 15 April 1979) is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter, best known for portraying Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia in ABC's fairytale-themed musical-comedy television series ''Galavant'', as we ...
had been added to the main cast as Grace.
Filming
Filming for the fifth season began in December 2018 in
New Braunfels
New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the county seat, seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a popula ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. It was reported that
Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Sara Tancredi in Fox's '' Prison Break'' and as Lori Grimes in AMC's '' The Walking Dead''. She has also starred as Katie Bowman in USA Network's ''Colo ...
, who played
Lori Grimes
Lori Grimes is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Sarah Wayne Callies in the American television series of the same name. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the chara ...
on its companion series ''The Walking Dead'', would direct an episode of the season, however, she was not able to due to scheduling conflicts.
Reception
Critical response
The fifth season received mixed reviews from critics and generally negative reviews from audiences. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the season has a rating of 55% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 5.10/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite delivering some memorable and splatter-filled zombie set-pieces that fans crave, ''Fear the Walking Dead'' feels stiff with early-onset rigor mortis in a fifth season that emphasizes altruism over coherent characterization."
Fan response
Following the airing of the season's penultimate episode, a
Change.org
Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
petition had attracted media attention. Drawing comparisons to a petition to rewrite the
last season of ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'' a few months prior, the petition was to fire current showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss. Chambliss responded to the negative fan reaction by saying, "You know, we told the story that we believe in and we're proud of what we did and in terms of going forward, the show is changing and that's always been part of the plan. You know, it changes every season and every half season and we're very excited about the direction it's going and a lot of the tough challenges that our characters ahead are going to be facing."
Ratings
References
External links
*
*
{{The Walking Dead
2019 American television seasons
05
Television shows set in New Braunfels, Texas