The Walking Dead TV universe consists of the main series, six spinoffs, and several webisodes, mini-stories set in the same world. One of the spinoffs is featured in an anthology format, which allows many liberties to be taken regarding what stories can be told.
Tales of the Walking Dead is a six-part series that tells a new story in each episode. Recently, TWD Chief Content Officer, Scott M. Gimple, stated, in an interview with The Direct, "I'm desperate to do more of those" episodes.
This could be exciting news for the fandom because with the conclusion of the flagship series, many fan-favorite characters' stories could be expanded. A revival of Tales of the Walking Dead could be developed into a series which focuses on side stories of characters introduced in the main series and its spinoffs.
What to Watch conducted an interesting interview with members of the TWD cast, asking them what stories they would like to see in episodes of Tales of TWD. Gimple would like an episode featuring the plane from World Beyond that crashed in Nebraska. Michael James Shaw (Mercer) would like a story following Michael and Max's journey to the Commonwealth. You can read the entire interview here.
What characters should be featured in future episodes of Tales of the Walking Dead?
Jerry - portrayed by Cooper Andrews
Jerry's journey is an interesting one. He began as a loyal right hand to King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) in the Kingdom and then moved on to Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Commonwealth. By the conclusion of TWD he, his wife Nabila (Nadine Marissa), and their three children found themselves back at Alexandria. Viewers would love to see Jerry's back story and how he came to be a member of the Kingdom.
A story featuring some backstory about Jerry and his unwavering loyalty and positive attitude could be a bright spot in a dark world. Fans would truly enjoy seeing more of his story.
Merle Dixon - portrayed by Michael Rooker
Merle Dixon was the brother of Daryl (Norman Reedus) who began his TWD journey as an awful human being. After being left on the roof of a building in Atlanta in season 1, it was discovered that he cut off his own hand to survive. When he returned in season 3, he hadn't changed much, but would eventually try to redeem himself before this death.
A story featuring Merle's journey from the point he was left on the roof until he met the Governor (David Morrissey) would make a great standalone episode. Viewers never learn what Merle went through during that period, how he fashioned his prosthetic hand, and how he joined the community of Woodbury.
Sasha and Tyreese - portrayed by Sonequa Martin-Green and Chad L. Coleman
Sasha and Tyreese joined the TWD story in season 3. They and some other survivors came upon the prison where Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group had taken shelter only to be turned away. They eventually made their way to Woodbury, but soon learn that the Governor was unhinged. Later they do join Rick's group and become productive members.
Fans would love to see more of Sasha and Tyreese before they appear at the prison. At the onset of the outbreak, the brother/sister duo take shelter in their neighbor's bunker for 7 months before joining a larger group. Filling in their back story would be a great way to learn more about them and give viewers more of these dynamic characters that were underutilized.
Morales - Juan Gabriel Pareja
Morales and his family are featured in season 1 of TWD but parted ways with Rick's Group for the safety of his family. Viewers were always curious what happened to this family and in season 8, he reappears as a member of Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) Saviors. His story is a tragic one, as the once, kind and caring man had transformed into cruel and ruthless man.
Viewers learn that Morales lost his entire family and this drove him to become a shell of his former self. It would be a dark story to watch Morales experience that loss and then his journey to join the Saviors.
Other stories that viewers would love to see include the formation of Terminus and Magna's group, the journey of the Governor, how Ezekiel become king, and many would love more of Princess' story.
It seems many fans were disappointed that the first season of Tales of TWD didn't feature more familiar characters. There was only one episode, "Dee," which focused on more of Alpha's (Samantha Morton) and Lydia's (Scarlett Blum, Cassady McClincy) stories, both characters featured in the main series. More of these type of episodes would be incredible and could be a huge success for AMC.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, the Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) spinoff, did a fantastic job of featuring a side story focused on Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and Gabriel (Seth Gilliam). This additional story fleshed out their relationship and pleasantly surprised viewers.
Here's hoping that Gimple gets his wish and AMC develops more Tales of the Walking Dead featuring some of the fan-favorite characters in new stories.
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