“No, Thank You.” The Walking Dead Would Have Been Ruined If Not for the One Decision that Saved the TV Series
The Walking Dead could have looked very different if the producers had succumbed to the suggestions of directors interested in creating this comic book adaptation.
The Walking Dead is a beloved TV series about the zombie apocalypse, based on a series of comic books with no shortage of brutality and blood. And there was a similar plan to capture this in the adaptation of this work, however not everyone was interested in such a bloody series – networks suggested that the adaptation would have to be toned down in order to be made.
As Greg Nicotero, one of the creators of The Walking Dead, recalled during an interview with The Huffington Post, these suggestions were not yielded to by Gale Anne Hurd, a producer who had previously worked on Terminator, among others, and who knew that if the TWD was to work, it could not deviate from what characterized the source material. As a result, she knew she had to say no to giants like NBC and HBO, since their executives were asking for a departure from the source material and a significant reduction in graphic violence. So they heard from her: “No, thank you.”
The adamant producer found a home for The Walking Dead at AMC, which didn't have conditions like NBC and HBO, allowing the show's creators to stay true to the comics. In turn, this proved to be the path to success, as TWD proved to be a huge hit that stayed on the air for a long time and continues to be developed through spin-offs. AMC's collaboration with the creators of The Walking Dead is flourishing and shows that making a violent TV series is possible and can be successful. And even for maintaining this character of the show is appreciated by viewers.
Nicotero expressed satisfaction at the fact that they were finally able to hit it off with AMC, which “totally get this show.”
Thank goodness we wound up at AMC. They totally get this show. Right from the beginning, they've been completely trusting and supportive of what we've been trying to do with this series.
The softening of TWD could prove to be a mistake and harm the production, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the biggest threat is not zombies hunting humans, but humans themselves. After all, it is for this brutality, among other things, that the series is appreciated by viewers.
