In the immortal words of the technical death metal band Anata, "You can't kill what's already dead."
On Thursday, chief operating officer at AMC, Ed Carroll, revealed an update on what is likely to become the third series hailing from Scott M. Gimple's THE WALKING DEAD TV universe. Wait, did that groan I just heard come from you or a zombie outside my office window? Let me go check … Eh, there doesn't seem to be anything outside, so let's press on, shall we?
Carroll, who's declared the spinoff as being in "active development," offered the following update about TWD's latest post-apocalyptic endeavor:
“We’re not yet at a stage where we’ll be announcing its plans to premiere. But we have hired creative people that have pitched story outlines. We feel very good about the development of that series,” said Carroll.
Carroll and CEO Josh Sapan assembled earlier today to in-part discuss THE WALKING DEAD's disappointing Neilsen ratings for the show's ninth season. During the meeting, Sapan said in a prepared staement that, "AMC Networks had a strong fourth quarter and a very successful 2018." He then reported on the state of the company's financials by saying the following:
“If there’s one headline for the year, it’s that AMC Networks continues to be a company that punches above its weight on almost every count, with a long history of having outsized impact and influence among our most important constituents, all to the benefit of our shareholders. We continue to have great success with our content, including BBC America’s ‘Killing Eve,’ which emerged as the sleeper hit of 2018; and we ended the year with AMC having 3 of the top 6 dramas on basic cable. Our quality content is the key driver behind our expanding distribution across linear and other platforms. In addition, the strength of our balance sheet allows us to continue to pursue smart and strategic investments that are changing our business, including our acquisition last year of RLJ Entertainment, which includes the Acorn TV streaming service, and is meaningfully advancing our direct to consumer interests, a key priority as we continue to diversify our revenue and grow our business.”
It's no secret that a substancial amount of TWD fans have grown weary of AMC's zombie drama, what with the show recently having hit a new midseason finale ratings low for the second year in a row.
To provide you with a little context, here are the program's midseason finale ratings, organized from highest-rated to lowest.
Season 5: 7.6 rating, 14.8 million viewers
Season 6: 7.0 rating, 14 million viewers
Season 4: 6.1 rating, 12.1 million viewers
Season 3: 5.4 rating, 10.5 million
Season 7: 5.1 rating, 10.6 million
Season 2: 3.5 rating, 6.6 million
Season 8: 3.4 rating, 7.9 million
Season 9: 2.0 rating, 5.1 million
Season 1 of THE WALKING DEAD consisted of just six episodes and did not have a midseason finale. (via Variety)
I suppose the question now is: Do you think that another Walking Dead spinoff is the right move? Are you still enjoying either THE WALING DEAD or FEAR THE WALKING DEAD? Would you even tune in for a third post-apocalyptic drama set in that same universe? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.