We’ve been through this before, haven’t we? AMC has announced the renewal of The Walking Dead for a fourth season, but at the same time, showrunner Glen Mazzara is leaving. That’s the second showrunner departure for the series, after Frank Darabont left during the second season.
The official statement released by AMC and Mazzara says, “Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer.” And an additional statement from Mazzara says, “My time as showrunner on The Walking Dead has been an amazing experience, but after I finish season three, it’s time to move on. I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”
Robert Kirkman’s statement reads, “I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to The Walking Dead and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for The Walking Dead. Thank you to the fans for your continued support.”
So… huh. The show survived Darabont’s departure; Are you concerned about this move, or do you expect the show to keep rolling on? We don’t know what the creative differences were, and we don’t know who’ll be taking over, but we can speculate about the show’s direction, because not knowing any details never stops us, does it? Post your thoughts and hopes for the show below.
HT: Deadline. And NOTE: Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick hosts Talking Dead on AMC, which returns with new episodes in February and will expand to one hour at 10/9c, directly after the new Walking Dead episodes air.
On Glen mazzara: Hmm… sounds a little iffy.
On AMC FINALLY wising up and putting Talking Dead directly after the episode: sweet! I always missed it before.
it should be ok unless they fire Robert Kirkman
This show fires producers like it’s characters kill Walkers.
Sad to see him go S3 has had an excellent pace so far and great srories. The replacement has a lot to live up too.
Well if the slump from Season 2A was any indication of what may happen, I do have some fears about Season 4A. If the remainder of this season goes like I expect it to, I think the prison will only last for this season and then lead into next season which deals with the fallout of losing another “safe haven” which was even a bit slow in the comics, so I can only imagine how it will look on the show.
AMC really needs to pull their head out with TWD because it seems that out of all of their original programming, they but heads with it the most, despite it being it’s biggest ratings earner. And since Breaking Bad will be over next year and Mad Men can’t go on forever, TWD will be the big dog in a shrinking yard along with Hell on Wheels.
Though with the success that AMC has had with TWD, I could see them going for another comic series that would succeed on cable due the freedom allowed. Series like Y: the Last Man or 100 Bullets have been talked about getting shows on premium cable channels like Showtime and HBO, but nothing ever came of it. Would not be surprised to see any non major comic series being picked up to fill the void of ending shows.
I don’t think you’re going to see a Nerdist podcast with Mazzara explaining anything. Open minded and unbiased is one thing, but Chris has a bit of a vested interest with AMC.
And I do think AMC is shooting themselves in the foot (and has been doing so ever since they canceled Rubicon). Mad Men and Breaking Bad are on their way out. TWD is all they have left. For now.
Who knows, maybe the ever rotating talent will allow the show to stay fresh. It remains to be seen.
lets get mazzara on the nerdist podcast and find out what he has to say about it!
Both Darabont and Mazzara are great story tellers who brought their own touch to the show. It makes me wonder why both are gone now, and if the Walking Dead Show is becoming too self-destructive to exist much longer. Robert Kirkman also seems strangely neutral in all of this. Other than supporting both AMC and Mazzara, doesn’t he have an opinion as to how he feels about all of this?
For me, the show feels like the it is coming into it’s own groove after being stuck on the farm for all of season 2. The pace and the characters have fleshed out nicely and the excitement is top notch. I can see a clear line from where Mazzara took over and I only hope that whoever is next can keep up, or improve on what he has helped create.
Change is not always bad, but the new person has some pretty hardcore shoes to fill.