THE episodic anthology series, Tales of the Walking Dead has been officially greenlit at AMC, with the first season’s six episodes slated to debut on AMC and AMC Plus in summer 2022.
Each one-hour episode is set within the world of The Walking Dead, and will feature both new and existing characters.
Channing Powell, who has worked as a writer and producer on both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, will serve as showrunner of the anthology series. Powell will work alongside The Walking Dead universe chief content officer Scott M. Gimple.
“The Walking Dead is a show that made television history and attracted an army of passionate and highly engaged fans,” said AMC Networks and AMC Studios Original Programming President Dan McDermott.
“We see so much potential for a wide range of rich and compelling storytelling in this world, and the episodic anthology format of Tales of the Walking Dead will give us the flexibility to entertain existing fans and also offer an entry point for new viewers, especially on streaming platforms”.
“We have seen the appeal of this format in television classics like The Twilight Zone and, more recently, Black Mirror, and are excited to engage with fans in this new way, against the backdrop of this very unique and engrossing world.”
First announced as being in development in September 2020, Tales of the Walking Dead was announced at the same time as the news that The Walking Dead would end with its eleventh season, along with news that Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride would star in a spinoff series about Daryl and Carol.
“This series, more than any other in the Walking Dead Universe, runs on new voices, perspectives, and ideas – bringing to life stories unlike any we’ve told before,” Gimple said.
“I’m thrilled to be Channing’s consigliere, helping in every way I can to make those new visions real for the best fans in TV. I started as a fan of The Walking Dead and have ended up as a showrunner of what will hopefully be one of its most unique spin-offs”.
“That’s nuts and I’m so grateful to AMC and Scott for supporting me and my writers while we pushed, pulled and poked at the boundaries of this universe to bring you something new and unexpected, while hopefully still tending to what core audiences loved so much about the flagship show.”
In a Variety interview last year, AMC COO Ed Carroll said that Tales would serve as a “test kitchen” of sorts, meaning that if a particular episode is well received, it could lead to another spinoff. Along with The Walking Dead, AMC is also home to both Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
