AMC CEO says The Walking Dead will be around for a long time
By Sonya Iryna
While some say The Walking Dead is on the decline due to ratings dips AMC is firmly behind the show and says the show could go on for decades.
AMC CEO Josh Sapan talked about the devoted fanbase of The Walking Dead in a recent conference call discussing the channel’s third-quarter results, according to Deadline. His comments about the show’s popularity and devoted fanbase prove that AMC continues to be supportive of The Walking Dead franchise.
During his speech, Sapan said the franchise is “in great shape and the people who are managing that great shape are motivated.” He also said:
"“The use of the word ‘franchise,’ we don’t take lightly. It’s not a sloppy or casual word. We’ve studied the best. Some have been around 30, 40, 50 years. We have a chance for a lot of life in the franchise.”"
The network is clearly not worried about the recent dip in live views, which means fans shouldn’t be either. There is no danger of The Walking Dead going away anytime soon. There could even be more shows set in The Walking Dead universe that are developed over the years. Daryl and Carol spin-off anyone? Or maybe a Kingdom prequel?
Live views of both The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead may be down. But both shows have shown huge growth in extended ratings. That shows that people are watching both shows. They’re just not watching them on Sunday nights.
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Ten More Years Of The Walking Dead?
One of the biggest reasons why The Walking Dead could go on for a decade or more is that the source material, The Walking Dead comic by Robert Kirkman, is still unfolding. The show has a goldmine of stories and characters to pull from and it can also go off in a unique direction as well.
And while people love the original Atlanta characters passionately the instant fan love for Negan shows that new characters can be just as loved as the older ones. On an ensemble show like The Walking Dead, the characters, as well as the stories, are always changing. The arrival of new characters and the departure of old characters keeps the story moving forward.
While some fans say that when their favorite characters like Rick Grimes or Daryl Dixon are killed off they will stop watching the show most fans say that they are so invested in the survival story of the show that they will keep watching as long as AMC keeps the show around.
Fear The Walking Dead and Other Shows
Fear The Walking Dead has had a rough start but appears to have found its feet in Season 3. As the show heads into season 4 it has the potential to become another long-lasting show set in The Walking Dead universe. Now that Fear is finding a steady, although small, audience, it’s possible the network could learn from Fear’s earlier mistakes and launch other shows set in the same universe.
Next: No reason to worry about live ratings
So when fans see clickbait style headlines proclaiming the show is nearly dead due to live ratings dropping, they should take those headlines with a grain of salt because The Walking Dead is going to be around for a long time.