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Fear the Walking Dead showrunners explain massive time jump decision for final season

kim dickens as madison clark, zoey merchant as wren fear the walking dead season 8, episode 1
FTWD showrunners explain time jump decisionLauren Lo Smith - AMC

Fear the Walking Dead season 8 spoilers follow.

Fear the Walking Dead showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss have explained why there was a massive time jump for the show’s final season.

The eighth season of the horror-drama premiered last night (May 14), with the action shifting seven years into the future from the events of the seventh season finale.

“Well, there were a few reasons why we started to gravitate in that direction,” Goldberg told Entertainment Weekly. “I think one of the biggest was we've been teasing this place, PADRE, since season 7, and really slowly unpacking what it is.

lennie james as morgan jones, zoey merchant as wren fear the walking dead season 8, episode 1
Lauren Lo Smith - AMC

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“We felt the best way to understand what it's like to grow up as a child at PADRE, in a place where you're kept from your family – where you're taught not to have connections with other people, certainly not with your parents – was to do it through the perspective of someone who actually grew up there,” he continued.

“It just felt like the right lens to tell that story through. And also, it created a real rift and mystery about the rest of our characters,” he added. “But I think the big impetus for the time jump was just to show how much life at PADRE has impacted all of our characters and their way of existing in the world.”

kim dickens as madison clark, zoey merchant as wren fear the walking dead season 8, episode 1
Lauren Lo Smith - AMC

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With the show set to conclude with a 12-episode final season, which will be split across two parts, stars Christine Evangelista (Sherry) and Austin Amelio (Dwight) recently paid tribute to the series.

“We are The Walking Dead. Grateful to have been a part of this insane world and man, I loved every minute of it. Bringing you the final season of @feartwd May 14th,” wrote Evangelista. “Gon' miss this world,” said Amelio.

Fear the Walking Dead airs on AMC in the US, and will air on AMC on BT TV in the UK.

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