AMC Greenlights ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ Anthology Series
Whilst the main show may be coming to a close, AMC are not done with zombies yet, as they greenlit another spin-off, titled ‘Tales of the Walking Dead‘, due to arrive in Summer 2022.
‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ is an episodic anthology series that will expand the universe and franchise of ‘The Walking Dead’ with one-hour standalone episodes focused on both new and established characters set in the world of the original series, the most successful in the history of cable television.
“‘The Walking Dead’ is a show that made television history and attracted an army of passionate and highly engaged fans,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios. “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.”
Channing Powell, who has been a writer and producer on ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Fear the Walking Dead’, will server as showrunner on “Tales,” working closely with Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of the Walking Dead Universe. An initial season of six episodes is expected to go into production early next year and premiere on AMC+ and AMC next summer.
“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,” adds Head Zombie, Gimple. “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.”
This is not, of course, the only spin-off coming as the main series comes to a close. ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ is still running, and about to start it’s 7th Season. Limited series ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ is currently airing its 2nd and final season. Then we have the untitled “Daryl & Carol” spin-off, along with the long-muted “Rick Grimes” movies also due to pop up at some point in the future.
“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,” said Channing Powell. “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.”
Whilst many people have been predicting the death of the franchise for a while, due to a massive drop in live-viewing figures, both the main show and ‘Fear’ are still in the top three titles on the network. However, those live figures are also somewhat obscured by the AMC+ app, which gives subscribers access to the show a week before the live broadcast and aren’t included in the live numbers. According to AMC, ‘The Walking Dead’ and other series in the Walking Dead Universe have been top titles on the AMC+ streaming service, both in terms of usage and new subscriber acquisitions. The franchise is very much alive and well.
‘Tales of the Walking Dead‘ is due to premiere in Summer 2022 on AMC+ and AMC in the USA. We don’t know where it’ll land in the UK. Could be the AMC UK channel, but could easily be somewhere else too. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
