No, thank you: “The decision that saved The Walking Dead created the show as we know it

The Walking Dead Producer Gale Anne Hurd made a decision that saved the series and helped it become a phenomenon. Before working as a producer on the television adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s popular The Walking Dead Comics, the veteran producer has already had a distinguished career in entertainment. Hurd has produced several iconic science-fiction movies, including The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment DayAnd Aliens, Along with the second Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, The Incredible Hulk.

After helping science fiction and superhero stories become reality, she became involved in helping The Walking Dead TV series take shape, which included finding the right network for it. Hurd was determined to do justice to Kirkman’s comics and his creative vision And was not ready to compromise on this, regardless of what network executives offered. Two major television networks are interested in making The Walking DeadBut Hurd refused them both. The series instead ended up on AMC, where it aired for 11 seasons, along with the many walking dead spinoffs that Hurd helped produce.

NBC and HBO Are Ready to Make The Walking Dead (But With Less Violence)

AMC did not have the same condition

As shared by Greg Nicotero via The Huffington Post, Both NBC and HBO have submitted offers to make The Walking Dead. However, one of their conditions was that the production team of the television adaptation would need to significantly reduce the amount of graphic violence featured in Kirkman’s comics. Hurd knew that compromise would not be faithful to the source material and to Kirkman’s creative vision, leading her to tell NBC and HBO, – No, thank you.

Then she continued to search for the network that was the best fit The Walking DeadThat led to working with AMC. After 14 years The Walking Deads pilot episode debuted, The partnership between AMC and the creative teams of the Walking Dead franchise continues to be mutually beneficial. As Nicotero explains, “Thank goodness we wound up at AMC. They totally get this show. Right from the beginning, they’ve completely trusted and supported what we’ve been trying to do with the series.” This includes the series not shying away from the comics’ violence and gore.

The Walking Dead sticking to its premise created the show as we know it

Gale Anne Hurd saved the show

much of The Walking DeadThe popularity of the show was its entertaining brutal exploration of a post-apocalyptic world And the feeling that no character is safe from dying. These elements would not have been possible if the show had significantly toned down its violence. While there are inevitably many changes from the comics, AMC ensured that the series could stay true to its initial premise of Rick Grimes waking up from his coma months after the zombie outbreak, and would work with other survivors to navigate a Lawless world.

From attacking the Terminus residents in season 5, episode 1, “No Sanctuary” to the heads of beloved characters appearing on pics in season 9, episode 15, “The Calm Before,” many of The Walking Deads best episodes featured memorable violence. These moments exist not just for spectacle but for important character development and narrative progression in the AMC series. Such violent moments would not have been possible if the series had been made by NBC or HBO, which would have fundamentally changed The Walking Deads history.

HBO’s reason for passing on The Walking Dead looks baffling in hindsight

This is the same network that made Game of Thrones

NBC wants less violence in The Walking Dead Not surprising given the tone and ratings of most of the network’s programming. It’s much more surprising that HBO passed The Walking Dead For the same reason. Less than a year later The Walking Dead Debuted on AMC, HBO released the first episode of Game of ThronesA series known for its shocking violence, which arguably surpassed The Walking Dead in this area. Game of Thrones became even greater than The Walking DeadPartly because of the boundaries it pushed, even though HBO previously wanted those boundaries.

Since Game of ThronesHBO has continued to make series with a lot of violenceincluding its spinoff House of the DragonAs well as WestworldAnd The last of us. Before The Walking DeadHBO has had its fair share of violent series, from The ruler to Oz. HBO’s decision seems strange now, but for The Walking DeadIt worked out for the best, as the series found a suitable home on AMC that continues to serve the franchise well with multiple spinoffs featuring the ongoing stories of beloved characters.

Source: The Huffington Post