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The Walking Dead renewed for season 9 with a new showrunner

By Sonya Iryna

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: Scott M. Gimple executive producer and show runner of 'The Walking Dead' speaks during 'The Walking Dead' event at Smithsonian National Museum Of American History on October 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for AMC)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: Scott M. Gimple executive producer and show runner of 'The Walking Dead' speaks during 'The Walking Dead' event at Smithsonian National Museum Of American History on October 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for AMC) /
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The Walking Dead will return for season 9 with writer Angela Kang as showrunner it was recently announced.

The news broke today through Hollywood Reporter that AMC has renewed The Walking Dead for season 9 and that Angela Kang will be taking over as showrunner.

Scott Gimple, who has been the showrunner since season 3, is moving up and will oversee The Walking Dead franchise by executive producing both The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead.

Angela Kang has been a writer and producer on The Walking Dead since 2011. She has written some of the most iconic episodes of The Walking Dead including: “Judge, Jury, Executioner”, “I Ain’t A Judas”, “A”, “Coda”, “The Same Boat”, “The Cell”, “Rock In The Road”, and “Big Scary U”.  She commented on her new role as showrunner saying:

"“I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead. Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me,” said Kang, who becomes the fourth showrunner on The Walking Dead after Frank Darabont, Glen Mazzara and Gimple. “I’m excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall.”"

That Controversial Death

Calls for a new showrunner have been rippling through the fandom after the controversial decision to kill Carl in the mid-season finale. But it’s important to keep in mind that decisions like this are not made lightly and they are usually made months before the official announcement. This switch was likely in process for at least several months.

Diversity Behind The Camera

The Walking Dead has always shown a commitment to building a diverse ensemble cast in front of the camera. But it remains one of the most diverse shows behind the camera as well. The Walking Dead has the largest percentage of minority writers and producers of any genre show. Now with a female showrunner it will continue to pave the way for more shows to become more diverse by proving that adding diverse representation behind the camera creates an environment that leads to more compelling story telling and better character development.

Renewal For Season 9

Though AMC has said in the past it sees The Walking Dead franchise as one that could continue for decades critics were starting to proclaim that the show was over based on the lengthy wait time for the renewal order. But with big changes like these in the works it’s likely that AMC wanted to get all these changes finalized before announcing the show’s 9th season. The show is still number one in the ratings across cable TV.

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Big Changes Ahead

Carl’s death will change the direction of the TV show permanently. But with Scott Gimple now overseeing both Fear The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead the universe that both shows exist in will probably become more cohesive and may even involve more crossover characters. It will be very interesting to see where new showrunner Angela Kang take the characters on The Walking Dead.

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