'The Walking Dead' showrunner says fans can expect more of Daryl, Negan, and Maggie from the 6 bonus episodes of season 10

• "The Walking Dead" season 10 is getting a bonus six episodes next year.
• Series writer Kevin Deiboldt described them as "in-between-quels" to Insider.
• Showrunner Angela Kang told Insider the episodes will take a deep dive into characters including Maggie, Daryl, Carol, Negan, Aaron, Father Gabriel, and the Commonwealth among others.
• Because of Lauren Ridloff's schedule, Kang said she will not appear on the bonus episodes.
• Instead, we'll learn more about where Connie has been on season 11.

"The Walking Dead" season 10 isn't over just yet. While the series finale technically aired, we'll receive six bonus season 10 episodes next year.

What does that mean?

First announced during a virtual panel for San Diego Comic-Con in July, the six episodes were described to Insider as "in-between-quels" by series writer Kevin Deiboldt. Here's what "TWD" showrunner Angela Kang and "TWD" universe chief content officer Scott Gimple told Insider fans can expect from them.

The episodes will likely explain story gaps while also filling in parts of the plot leading into season 11

When Insider asked showrunner Angela Kang how the bonus episodes would work and if we may see what Maggie has been up to since departing the show on season nine in 2018, she described them as "deep dives" on some individual characters.

"In order to film safely, we've had to think really deeply about what we can accomplish at this point in a way that is hopefully still really creatively satisfying," said Kang of filming the bonus episodes during the continuing pandemic.

"It doesn't have 300 zombie extras in a scene breathing on all of our actors," Kang said. "It's been a really interesting and fun creative challenge for us on the writing side, um, to try to do some deep dives into some of our characters."

If you're worried we'll just be getting six random bottle episodes centered around individual characters, Kang says that's not the case. There's a connective plot to lead fans into the final season.

"There are things that kind of tie in together," Kang said. "There are things that are going on with our people and their communities and so there are things that start to tie those into what will become the major story in season 11."

Who will we see in these bonus six episodes? Maggie, Daryl and Carol, Aaron, and Negan are a few of the characters.

"We'll learn more about Maggie's adventures," Kang said. "There's some other things that we're doing deep dives into like Daryl and Carol and Negan, Gabriel, and Aaron has some really cool stuff."

"We'll see other characters in there... and we'll check back in with that group, with the Commonwealth," Kang said of the new group teased at the very end of the finale. "Hopefully there will be some really good stuff. I'm not even sure if I should be saying all of this."

Connie will not be in one of the extra six episodes

What about Connie (Lauren Ridloff)? The fan-favorite disappeared on season 10, episode nine during a cave-in and only appeared briefly on the final moments of the finale.

Now, that we know she's alive and well, is she getting one of these extra six episodes to fill in the gap of where she's been all season?

"She's not, but we have a big episode planned for her," Kang said, adding it's not because they didn't want to have her there.

"At the time that we had to lock these episodes, her schedule was still up in the air," Kang continued. "We have an episode that should be really cool for people coming up afterwards. We're working on that for her."

Scott Gimple says the bonus episodes are six of the best scripts they've done for 'TWD'

"These six episodes were in many ways written with producibility in mind in the times that we're in," "TWD" universe chief content officer Scott Gimple told Insider. "They were conceived as great stories, but they kept in mind that the safest way to do it. And what I find fascinating is with those constraints, these are six of like the best scripts we've done."

"I'm just blown away with what Angela and the writers have done," Gimple added. "When we were sort of tasked with these episodes, I was super nervous about the way we were breaking it all up, but it's really come together and did some amazing episodes."

Kang said the character-focused stories will contain "interesting twists." As of September 25, the crew has been preparing to safely film.

"I know that everybody on the acting side is eager to kind of get back to work, because they've all been missing each other and missing their art and craft," Kang said. "We're working on all the preproduction aspects of that right now."

The six new season 10 episodes are set to debut next year on AMC. You can follow along with our "Walking Dead" coverage here.

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