Post by Ripley on Oct 5, 2015 12:48:00 GMT -5
"...Right now, at issue 127, The Walking Dead has a hard cut between a long-running plotline and then a completely new chapter that features a fairly significant time jump. That’s 50 or so issues away from where the show is now, so perhaps TWD could squeeze out two more seasons and end after season seven before this entire new plotline starts. The comic could continue on, and the show could rest in peace, having fulfilled an important arc.
And yet, it’s hard to imagine only two more season of The Walking Dead at this point, and unless AMC sees a sharp drop in ratings, I have to imagine the show will run at least nine or ten seasons before there starts to be serious consideration about wrapping things up. I think plans for a massive, two decade-long run is overambitious and would likely turn out poorly if audiences lose interest or the people currently making the show great (like godsend showrunner Scott Gimple) decide it’s time to move on to other projects. I know AMC loves The Walking Dead probably more than any other program they’ve ever broadcast, but they will have to let it go sometime. But for now, there’s no way in hell anyone has to worry about running out of source material.
Update: I dug this up from producer David Alpert who spoke about series length about a year ago:
“I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what season 10 is gonna be. We know where season 11 and 12…we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we’re lucky enough to get there.”
The producers are willing, but will the audience stay around long enough to make that happen? In any case, 12 seasons of a serialized, high-cost drama like The Walking Dead would indeed be practically unprecedented, but if any show could do it, it’s probably this one.
And yet, it’s hard to imagine only two more season of The Walking Dead at this point, and unless AMC sees a sharp drop in ratings, I have to imagine the show will run at least nine or ten seasons before there starts to be serious consideration about wrapping things up. I think plans for a massive, two decade-long run is overambitious and would likely turn out poorly if audiences lose interest or the people currently making the show great (like godsend showrunner Scott Gimple) decide it’s time to move on to other projects. I know AMC loves The Walking Dead probably more than any other program they’ve ever broadcast, but they will have to let it go sometime. But for now, there’s no way in hell anyone has to worry about running out of source material.
Update: I dug this up from producer David Alpert who spoke about series length about a year ago:
“I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what season 10 is gonna be. We know where season 11 and 12…we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we’re lucky enough to get there.”
The producers are willing, but will the audience stay around long enough to make that happen? In any case, 12 seasons of a serialized, high-cost drama like The Walking Dead would indeed be practically unprecedented, but if any show could do it, it’s probably this one.