Entertainment TV The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira Binged Bridgerton to Prep for 'Romantic' Rick/Michonne Spinoff "It's an epic love story," Lincoln teased of the upcoming series, which focuses on Michonne's search for Rick, with Gurira sharing that her character "has been closed off, but she's opening up again" By Esther Kang Esther Kang Esther Kang is a writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and has previously worked for publications like TMZ and TooFab. People Editorial Guidelines and Scott Huver Scott Huver Scott Huver is a freelance writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been writing about entertainment, celebrity, pop culture, crime, fashion and the Los Angeles area for over 20 years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 6, 2024 09:53PM EST Close Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln (left) and Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey in 'Bridgerton'. Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty; Liam Daniel/Netflix Andrew Lincoln is sharing the steamy study material he used to get ready for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. In the Television Critic's Association panel for AMC on Tuesday, Lincoln, 50, opened up about the prep work he and Danai Gurira undertook to get romance ready for the "most romantic Walking Dead show" to date. "We watched a lot of Bridgerton," the actor quipped, before adding, "This has been a long time coming, this story, and I love this character and this is a love story. This is essentially the DNA of the original episode was a man in search of his family" Rick and Michonne Search a 'Broken World' for Each Other in New The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Trailer Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira in 'The Walking Dead'. Jackson Lee Davis/AMC Explaining how the team wanted to make the story "a bit more operatic," Lincoln described the long awaited series as "a beautiful thing." "And Danai, I have to give credit was beating the drum for the love story," he added. "Everything we could squeeze out of every scene, she said, 'It's time, this is it.'" The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will follow the epic love story between married pair Rick Grimes (Lincoln) and Michonne (Gurira), who first met on The Walking Dead. Both exited the series before it wrapped after 11 seasons in November 2022. Rick had been presumed dead when he left The Walking Dead in season 9 after blowing up a bridge to prevent an invasion of walkers, but Michonne later learned her spouse had survived and set out to find him in season 10. A Complete Guide to Every 'Walking Dead' Spin-Off Show Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira in 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live'. The Walking Dead/ YouTube; Gene Page/AMC The upcoming series will be the sixth spinoff to come from the The Walking Dead, itself an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. When Gurira was asked what she could "tease" about her character's development, the actress, 45, kept her cards close to her chest, though she gave viewers some insight on what they can expect. "I think, you know, she definitely is going through quite a journey in this series," she said of Michonne. "There are a lot of things that happen that she does not expect. There are ways that she has to pivot and adjust that she does not expect. There is, you know, the journey to find her man... it's not an easy one, it comes in ways she could never have imagined." "She's gone through a lot and made her very closed off," Gurira continued. "So she's opened up again and then you know, we'll see what happens." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres Feb. 25 on both AMC and AMC+.