Season 1 follows the lives of the Clark and Manawa families in Los Angeles, as they struggle to understand the strange and horrifying events unfolding around them. Unlike its predecessor, which plunges viewers into a world where survival is already the primary focus, Fear the Walking Dead explores the confusion, denial, and fear that accompanies the initial stages of the apocalypse. The show delves into the psychological impact of the outbreak on the characters, particularly through the eyes of Madison Clark, a high school guidance counselor, and her two children, Nick and Alicia.

Visually, Fear the Walking Dead captures the chaos and breakdown of order that accompanies the rapid spread of the infection. The setting of Los Angeles, with its sprawling urban environment, adds a different dimension to the survival narrative, contrasting with the rural landscapes of The Walking Dead. The show’s pacing is deliberate, focusing on the characters’ gradual realization that the world they once knew is gone forever.