amc Walking Dead "companion series" (AMC)

[Rappy Veteran]

AMC announced today that the network is in the initial stages of developing a companion series to its original drama series The Walking Dead, which premiered on AMC in October of 2010. The Walking Dead is currently the #1 show on television among adults 18-49. Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert are on board as executive producers, with AMC Studios set to produce. The companion series has a target on-air date of 2015.

?Building on the success of the most popular show on television for adults 18-49 is literally a no-brainer,? said Charlie Collier, AMC?s president and general manager. ?We look forward to working with Robert, Gale and Dave again as we develop an entirely new story and cast of characters. It?s a big world and we can?t wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse.?

?After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn't be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe,? said Kirkman. ?The opportunity to make a show that isn't tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing.?

In addition to Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Hell on Wheels and Low Winter Sun, AMC recently greenlit two new drama series for 2014, Halt & Catch Fire and Turn. The network today began shooting a new pilot, Line Of Sight, directed and executive produced by Jonathan Demme, and has a licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Television for a spinoff series of Vince Gilligan?s landmark Breaking Bad, based on the Saul Goodman lawyer character with the working title Better Call Saul.

Season four of The Walking Dead returns to AMC on October 13. The Walking Dead is based on the comic book series created and written by Robert Kirkman and published by Skybound, Kirkman's imprint at Image Comics.

The Walking Dead season three out-delivered everything on television including The Big Bang Theory, The Voice, Game of Thrones, Modern Family, and almost doubled The Bible for the broadcast season for adults 18-49.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/notyetamovie/news/?a=87136

[Kriz]

YESSSS bloody bring everything you got!! Cant wait!

[DocM]

Same universe, different synopsis

http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/walking-dead-companion-series-amc-1200613403/

[Shiranui]

Yawn. I'm enjoying the original series, but what's with all the spin-offs?

New ideas, please.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Yawn. I'm enjoying the original series, but what's with all the spin-offs?

New ideas, please.

At the beginning of the thread I was with you. There is little need for spin-off series, and they tend to do worse than their originals. Then they brought up the point about 'Better Call Saul' and I thought, "actually, anything sounds better than that."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not holding my breath on this - I'd rather wait for further details - but I'm not entirely against it either.

EDIT: From DocM's link:

Proposed new series would come from ?Walking Dead? comics creator Robert Kirkman and executive producers Gale Anne Hurd and Dave Alpert.

If this is true, I've found new hope for this.

[Rappy Veteran]

In a recent interview with IGN, series creator Robert Kirkman ? who is shepherding the spin-off along with fellow Walking Dead EPs Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert ? confirmed that the new series will be set in a ?different location? and feature ?completely different people,? adding. ?It definitely won?t be set in Georgia? It?s important to us that this show exists on its own. The spin-off has to be a show worthy of existing, or else we?ve all sold out.?

Insiders caution that the project is in the very early stages of development and nothing is set in stone. Translation: Even if this is the plan, it could very well change. AMC is eying a 2015 launch for the show so there?s no rush.

Src

[Dick Montage]

what's with all the spin-offs?

 

Easy - the return on investment is greater than developing who new licenses.  Moreover, you base a spin-off on an established, popular show then you almost guarantee an audience.

[Innervisions33]

If this means TWD being on the majority of the year, I'm in!

[Lord Method Man]

Easy - the return on investment is greater than developing who new licenses.  Moreover, you base a spin-off on an established, popular show then you almost guarantee an audience.

 

Its just about as much of a gamble as a new series. Look what happened to other shows that followed this formula like That 80's Show, Millennium, The Lone Gunmen, and a handful of Law & Order iterations.

[Dick Montage]

Its just about as much of a gamble as a new series. Look what happened to other shows that followed this formula like That 80's Show, Millennium, The Lone Gunmen, and a handful of Law & Order iterations.

 

Very fair comments.

[Rappy Veteran]

Here's what AMC network chief Charlie Collier and programming head Joel Stillerman told Vulture regarding the status of The Walking Dead spinoff that currently aiming for a 2015 release:

[The Walking Dead spinoff] is not as far along [as the Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul]. Robert [Kirkman] has some things on his plate. He continues to write every issue of the comic and hasn?t finished season four of The Walking Dead, which he is very intimately involved with and will continue to be. That?s really in the incubation stages. The one thing that I?ll share is just an anecdote that Robert shared with us. He has such a specific vision that he laid out really clearly in the first issue of the comic book. And I encourage anybody who?s interested in the show to go read the note that he wrote in the first issue of the comic. His motivation for telling that story was so clear and so powerful, and it served as such a great north star for the show. We kicked around a few ideas, but primarily what he?s working on is, what is the idea that gives [him] as clear a mandate to make another version of this show as [he] had for the first one? What is going on [now] is a more philosophical discussion over why there should be another version of the show. Once we answer that, we?ll zero in on the specific creative.

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

its better be better then the last 3 episodes of the last season.

 

have only watched 2 eps of latest one, but i am not sure i like it anymore. just seems to drag on.  i might watch the rest if i have time, but i am not getting my hopes up

[Razorwing]

Sure why not? I guess they can all meet midway or something. That'd be pretty cool.  

[notchinese]

its better be better then the last 3 episodes of the last season.

 

have only watched 2 eps of latest one, but i am not sure i like it anymore. just seems to drag on.  i might watch the rest if i have time, but i am not getting my hopes up

 

You need to watch the rest of season 4 (the ones that have aired.) IMO your opinion will change about the direction of the show.

[firey]

I want them to do it in another country like canada.. or even europe.  All zombie apocalypses happen in the states, does the rest of the world just continue on like nothing is happening?

[Rappy Veteran]

its better be better then the last 3 episodes of the last season.

 

have only watched 2 eps of latest one, but i am not sure i like it anymore. just seems to drag on.  i might watch the rest if i have time, but i am not getting my hopes up

You are missing good episodes imo

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

ok, you convince me, i will definately give this season another go :)

i am a big fan of the Tell Tale game series, so I hope the plot will more like that...    the prison settings and the town were tedious.   too many regulars on supporting casts and too little new locations!