There have been few comic books that inspired so many stories as The Walking Dead (TWD), written by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The unforgivable and cruel universe where the outbreak of Walkers (the zombies in this universe) happened has too many similarities with the real world to be purely entertaining.
The television show that is based on the comic book focuses not on the zombie apocalypse, but on the people trying to survive. This narrative showcases some of the worst qualities in humanity and the idea that even in such a scenario, if everyone got together and tried to solve the problem, the majority of people would prefer to fight among themselves.
The show aired in 2010 and brought back the popularity of zombie stories. This has much to do with the emotional core of the characters, who are at the heart of the show. After 11 seasons, in November 2022, the last episode of TWD aired, bringing closure to longtime fans. However, that was not the end of this fictional universe, as there are various spin-off shows for viewers to delight themselves with. The latest one released is Tales of the Walking Dead.
Here is how the new spin-off series connects with this large universe and every other show that is a part of it. As well as what is to come to this ever-growing fictional world.
The Walking Dead Universe
There is no downplaying how successful The Walking Dead has been since it aired. It all started when Rick (Andrew Lincoln), a cop who was in a coma, woke up to a world taken by zombies. He then starts to search for his wife and son while trying to survive. Since then, there have been various spin-off shows set in the same universe that tackle different elements of the zombie apocalypse with new sets of characters, as well as bringing some from the original show back to the screen.
The first spin-off series was Fear the Walking Dead, which aired back in 2015. The show takes place in Los Angeles (unlike the original, which is in Atlanta) at the moment that the zombie apocalypse happened, which fans didn’t get to see as Rick was in a coma during it. It has been confirmed that the eighth season that is set to premiere this year will be it’s last. Then The Walking Dead: World Beyond premiered in 2017. This one is set in Nebraska 10 years after the apocalypse and focuses on the teenagers that are the first to come of age in this scenario. It ended after two seasons.
The next spin-off show that was released was Tales of the Walking Dead. However, AMC has also released various web series set in the same universe. The network explored different situations with well-known characters as well as new ones in these series. The various web series are: Torn Apart, Cold Storage, Red Machete, The Oath, Fear, Flight 462, Passage, The Althea Tapes, and Dead in the Water.
Tales of the Walking Dead
Last year in August, Tales of the Walking Dead premiered. The anthology standalone series has six episodes and is set in the same universe as TWD. It is the one that feels the most different from the original series. Because of its structure, every episode is its own story that doesn’t correlate to the others, it can dive into different genres while still remaining true to the overall theme of surviving the apocalypse. It is also why the viewer can watch this show without watching the other ones – even if they are going to miss a few easter eggs.
There are connections between the new spin-off and the original show. It was a surprise for fans that there weren’t that many already-known characters in the anthology series as various actors stated that they would come back as their characters. However, Dee (Samantha Morton), a character from the original show and one of the antagonists, appears in the anthology series. There is also a geographical connection to the original show. As in the first episode, they are close to Commonwealth (where the characters are in the last season of TWD).
Tales of the Walking Dead is able to play with timelines and different locations. For example, the first is set a year after the zombies took over, while there is another that happens several years after the outbreak. Many speculate that the writers are testing ideas for new spin-off ideas with these episodes, which given the nature of the series, makes sense.
The Universe Is Getting Bigger
Fans of TWD can rest assured that Tales of the Walking Dead is not actually the last installment being made of the world of the Walkers. There are three more series announced. The Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) spin-off series is still waiting on a name to be announced and will be released this year. The Walking Dead: Dead City will be a six-episode series starring Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). And The Walking Dead: Daryll Dixon, featuring one of the most loved characters played by Norman Reedus. All these characters are from the original series.
With an already big universe, The Walking Dead appears to be only growing. A reassuring thing for fans is that don’t have to fear never seeing the world or their favorite characters again, especially with the creator of TWD talking about a possible second season for Tales of the Walking Dead. While there is no confirmation about a second season one thing is certain: there is a lot in store.
