'The Walking Dead' Showrunner Open To 'This Is Us' Crossover

The Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple and This Is Us star Chris Sullivan shared the Talking Dead couch last Sunday, so talk naturally turned to the two dramas crossing over.

Hardwick: Nick T. on Facebook says, 'Scott, would you ever do a crossover episode with This Is Us?'

Gimple: Yes. A thousand times yes.

Hardwick: I mean, people die on that show. They could come back as Walkers.

Sullivan: Yeah! Jump back and forth through time.

Gimple: I think some flashback-y kind of business. Well, you guys do that too. Yeah, the revelation that Rick is, you know, the baby's father sort of thing, we're gonna go with that.

Gimple refers to Gracie, the now-orphaned baby Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) happened upon in 8x02, "The Damned." This Sunday's episode, "Monsters," will follow up with the blast-from-the-past that has a gun in Rick's face and will address what happens with the baby girl. (Leading man Lincoln did say he wants Rick and Michonne to have kids...)

Hardwick posed another fan question to Sullivan, asking, "Which of your This Is Us cast mates do you think would be first to become a Walker, and who would be the ultimate survivor?"

"I would be the first to become a Walker," Sullivan answered. "I've got no brutality in me. I'd be like 'I can't, okay.' And the ultimate survivor has got to be Gerald McRaney. That guy… that's a tough guy."

McRaney plays Dr. Nathan Katowski on the hit NBC drama, a role which won him his first Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Gimple also made mention of The Walking Dead alum Alexandra Breckenridge, who played Rick's short lived lover Jessie Anderson before joining This Is Us as Sophie.

"She technically is the first person on This is Us to become a Walker," Sullivan said. "I'm glad we worked that out," Gimple joked. (Breckenridge's Jessie was devoured by a pack of Walkers in 6x09.)

The Walking Dead's first actual crossover is about to get underway: earlier this month, creator Robert Kirkman confirmed both shows in the universe — The Walking Dead, now in its eighth season, and Fear The Walking Dead, heading into its fourth season — will be officially crossing over.

The crossover could see the return of Michael Cudlitz's Abraham Ford, but no one is revealing what, exactly, the crossover will consist of. Kirkman did reveal fans can expect the crossover to go down "before the end of 2018," which would mean the two shows will come together in "either the back half of season 8, Fear The Walking Dead season 4, or the front half of season 9."

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.