The Walking Dead (AMC) - News/Speculation/Discussion SPOILERS to be tagged

[magictrick]

Why budget cuts for a successful show? It seems like AMC has hit after hit with regard to its shows. Doesn't quite make sense, unless they really don't bring in as much as we are made out to believe

[the fifth man]

Why budget cuts for a successful show? It seems like AMC has hit after hit with regard to its shows. Doesn't quite make sense, unless they really don't bring in as much as we are made out to believe

That is what I am thinking must be the case. Why would you potentially sabotage a great thing? That makes no sense whatsoever.

[maxbo]

Okay, now I'm starting to worry. Someone just linked this article in another thread and it has the gory details about why Frank Darabont is no longer with the show:

'The Walking Dead': What Really Happened to Fired Showrunner Frank Darabont
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...d-fired-221449

I'm trying to remain optimistic, but it's becoming more difficult with each update of this behind the scenes mess.

[the fifth man]

I am doing my best not to worry about all of this behind the scenes chaos. At least, not yet. Let us see how Season 2 pans out first, and then we can choose to worry or not.

[VampyreWraith]

I am doing my best not to worry about all of this behind the scenes chaos. At least, not yet. Let us see how Season 2 pans out first, and then we can choose to worry or not.

Thats how I'm going about it as well.
I can't wait til season 2 starts, hopefully everything will work out and there will be nothing to worry about.

[the fifth man]

Thats how I'm going about it as well.
I can't wait til season 2 starts, hopefully everything will work out and there will be nothing to worry about.

All we can do at this point is hope. It isn't worth getting all upset over things we cannot control.

[magictrick]

'The Walking Dead': What Really Happened to Fired Showrunner Frank Darabont
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...d-fired-221449

Good find. As the article says, it sounds like AMC doesn't know how to deal with success. They have 3 wildly successful shows and have had disputes with producers from all three of them. I didn't know about Breaking Bad being shopped around to other networks.

After reading that I'm surprised that these shows even ended up on AMC. It sounds like some execs have their heads in their behinds instead of in other more useful places. They need a reality check, or someone who knows how to handle success.

Its funny how one guy was quoted as saying that ratings aren't everything, as if trying to justify their treatment of The Walking Dead. When we all know, ratings are an enormous part of it, especially for a non basic cable channel.

I really hope they get their act together before they destroy a great show.

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Put on the pilot this morning and ended up sitting through the entire first season. I love this show and I'm sad Darabont is out. He handled it perfectly. Looking forward to the second season though!

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Also what the hell happened to Merle? The guy who got handcuffed to the roof? He stole their van and just disappeared?

[maxbo]

Good find. As the article says, it sounds like AMC doesn't know how to deal with success. They have 3 wildly successful shows and have had disputes with producers from all three of them. I didn't know about Breaking Bad being shopped around to other networks.

After reading that I'm surprised that these shows even ended up on AMC. It sounds like some execs have their heads in their behinds instead of in other more useful places. They need a reality check, or someone who knows how to handle success.

Its funny how one guy was quoted as saying that ratings aren't everything, as if trying to justify their treatment of The Walking Dead. When we all know, ratings are an enormous part of it, especially for a non basic cable channel.

I really hope they get their act together before they destroy a great show.

Yeah, lack of confidence in AMC's leadership is why I'm concerned. The head exec seems to suffer from a destructive combination of arrogance and ignorance. And, what makes it so bad for The Walking Dead is that, unlike Mad Men and Breaking Bad, AMC owns The Walking Dead, so it doesn't have the leverage to threaten to leave AMC when its execs start behaving like asses.

Because of this, AMC can fire Darabont, even though he spearheaded a remarkably successful first season and AMC can reduce the show's budget, and make other changes that could have a negative impact on the show. For instance, I'm not pleased about AMC's insistence that much of Season 2 be shot indoors to save money. It's things like this that can change the feel of a show and I'm afraid that AMC doesn't realize this and won't get it until it's too late.

The person who made that "Ratings have no bearing on this conversation" comment was none other than AMC's head of original programming, Joel Stillerman. How scary is that? This article also quotes an insider as saying that "Joel thinks he is responsible for the success of shows on AMC, and not the creators." With this kind of attitude in charge, it will be a miracle if the show doesn't suffer.

So, AMC has 3 hit shows and this fellow has pissed off the creators of 2 of them, Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and took advantage of the fact that it owns The Walking Dead to fire its strong-willed creator who, according to an insider, "fights for the show," and "doesn't just do what the network wants him to do. Since Stillerman believes that he's the reason for those show's success and not the creators, I wouldn't be surprised if he's trying to drive off the creators of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, like he did with Darabont, so that he can try to influence the installation of more malleable showrunners.

I hate the atmosphere that AMC has fostered in this mess. It's sad to read that the cast (and crew) is "scared" because they (and their reps) have been "terrorized", by AMC, into keeping silent on this mess for fear of losing their jobs.

*sigh* I really hope my concerns about the lost of quality of the show are not realized.

Also what the hell happened to Merle? The guy who got handcuffed to the roof? He stole their van and just disappeared?

I'm sure we'll going to see ole Merle next season and that he'll be even more loveable and even tempered than usual.

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Ahh good

[The Mighty 6 platoon]

Yeah, lack of confidence in AMC's leadership is why I'm concerned. The head exec seems to suffer from a destructive combination of arrogance and ignorance. And, what makes it so bad for The Walking Dead is that, unlike Mad Men and Breaking Bad, AMC owns The Walking Dead, so it doesn't have the leverage to threaten to leave AMC when its execs start behaving like asses.

Because of this, AMC can fire Darabont, even though he spearheaded a remarkably successful first season and AMC can reduce the show's budget, and make other changes that could have a negative impact on the show. For instance, I'm not pleased about AMC's insistence that much of Season 2 be shot indoors to save money. It's things like this that can change the feel of a show and I'm afraid that AMC doesn't realize this and won't get it until it's too late.

The person who made that "Ratings have no bearing on this conversation" comment was none other than AMC's head of original programming, Joel Stillerman. How scary is that? This article also quotes an insider as saying that "Joel thinks he is responsible for the success of shows on AMC, and not the creators." With this kind of attitude in charge, it will be a miracle if the show doesn't suffer.

So, AMC has 3 hit shows and this fellow has pissed off the creators of 2 of them, Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and took advantage of the fact that it owns The Walking Dead to fire its strong-willed creator who, according to an insider, "fights for the show," and "doesn't just do what the network wants him to do. Since Stillerman believes that he's the reason for those show's success and not the creators, I wouldn't be surprised if he's trying to drive off the creators of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, like he did with Darabont, so that he can try to influence the installation of more malleable showrunners.

I hate the atmosphere that AMC has fostered in this mess. It's sad to read that the cast (and crew) is "scared" because they (and their reps) have been "terrorized", by AMC, into keeping silent on this mess for fear of losing their jobs.

*sigh* I really hope my concerns about the lost of quality of the show are not realized.

Indeed, it sounds like a complete mess at AMC. Sadly this isn't uncommon, and indeed a similar situation to this has happened before actually. HBO went through a rough patch a few years ago, thanks to poor decisions made by and arrogant and overconfident management, which led to the cancelation of shows like Deadwood and Rome, and several shows that were not of as high quality as previous HBO hits. Several people in it's upper management were moved around and or got rid of, and HBO got back on track with shows like True Blood, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones.

In much the same way there was over confidence at HBO, riding high after hits like the Sopranos and Sex and the City, that caused problems. It was actually in that gap that AMC took advantage, with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, which were at the time, better than most things HBO had on. HBO have since bounced back, and I hope AMC do as well, but clearly there needs to be some reshuffling iand even the removal of certain people at AMC.

[the fifth man]

Yeah, I highly doubt we have seen the last of Merle. That should be a fun "reunion" to watch.

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

You can tell from season one that a LOT of money goes into this show though. I'm not surprised there's cut backs at AMC, but I too fear that the show will suffer for it.

[magictrick]

In much the same way there was over confidence at HBO, riding high after hits like the Sopranos and Sex and the City, that caused problems. It was actually in that gap that AMC took advantage, with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, which were at the time, better than most things HBO had on. HBO have since bounced back, and I hope AMC do as well, but clearly there needs to be some reshuffling iand even the removal of certain people at AMC.

Yea I mean you think logic would dictate that when AMC execs get into these huge disagreements with the show runners of ALL 3 of your shows, there's an issue that needs to be addressed ASAP.