AMC needs to get Talking Dead right for The Walking Dead fans

Lately, Talking Dead took a backseat to other shows on AMC but the discussion show should go hand-in-hand with The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead.

Let’s be honest. Talking Dead hasn’t been getting a lot of respect lately. The popular post-show discussion program used to be must-watch television for fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, but lately, it hasn’t been getting the love it deserves.

The show lost a lot of ratings while being pushed backward in order to promote their struggling martial arts drama Into The Badlands or even push other shows such as Preacher and The Terror in its place, forcing the show to lose many viewers.

The winning combination of zombie drama, Talking Dead, and Comic Book Men got even worse when adding these other shows to the mix, forcing Kevin Smith’s show about the Secret Stash into an even worse time slot and eventually into cancellation.

Another big blow came when allegations surfaced of misconduct by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick that divided the fandom and made being a fan of the show even more controversial, casting a negative light on the program.

Now is the time for AMC to right a lot of the wrongs and the show back on track. Here are some ways the show can return to greatness:

• Have Talking Dead immediately follow The Walking Dead or Fear The Walking Dead to give fans the opportunity to have their weekly therapy session following dramatic episodes of the series.
• Get higher caliber guests. Whether it is stars from the show itself or bigger names from Hollywood, adding some more star power to the show may cost AMC a little extra, but it would pay off in a big way.
• Increase social interaction. The trivia and tweets are fun when they are live, but watching pre-recorded shows is never fun. Talking Dead needs to be live and incorporate as much of the fandom as possible to make it feel like OUR show

Stop using TWD and FearTWD as springboards. It’s strange that AMC will push shows like The Terror, Preacher, and Into The Badlands so hard when it leaves other shows like Comic Book Men out to dry. Talking Dead should be part of that springboard, and not considered an add-on.

Sadly, This doesn’t seem to be something AMC will ever budge on. Talking Dead will continue to be punished for shows with floundering ratings that need a boost thanks to The Walking Dead. Let’s just hope that the show doesn’t end up suffering the same kind of fate Comic Book Men did.