The Walking Dead has been on the air for over ten years and holds a very special place in many fans’ hearts. Going through three show-runner changes and having a very diverse panel of writers that are constantly shifting and changing, the show obviously has its share of inconsistency.
There are many things that fans and outside people get wrong about this series, and that’s largely due to the fact that the marketing is often nonsensical and also the fact that it has been airing for over a decade with only two members of its original cast left. Let’s take a look at 10 of the things people get wrong about AMC’s hit drama series.
Greg Nicotero Wasn’t Promoted To An Executive Producer Position Until Season 4
In 2010, Greg Nicotero took home the Emmy for his prosthetic makeup designs in the first season of The Walking Dead. Back then, he worked only on the VFX team for the show, but by season 2 he was promoted to a director and co-executive producer position.
Today, Greg Nicotero plays a big role in the series by being one of the top executive producers and directing several episodes each season. But he didn’t always have so much to do with the series, as he wasn’t technically promoted to an executive producer position until season 4.
Andrew Lincoln’s Exit
After nearly a decade of playing the lead role in AMC’s hit drama series, Andrew Lincoln stepped down from his role of Rick Grimes in the series’ ninth season. This caused an uproar in the fanbase, as many could not imagine the series going on without its lead, and today, the series is undoubtedly very different.
The consensus for Andrew Lincoln’s departure is that he simply wanted to spend more time with his family - namely his young children - but, as many suspected, that’s not all there is to it. The timing was very suspicious, as it seemed that Lincoln’s decision to leave coincided with then-showrunner Scott Gimple’s fatal decision to suddenly kill off the beloved Carl Grimes.
Carol Was Supposed To Die In Season 3
Today, Carol is one of the two characters left from The Walking Dead’s original cast, and it’s pretty hard to imagine what the show would be without her. She’s certainly had a rough and tumultuous life in the apocalypse, losing her daughter and several adopted children over the span of nine seasons, but she remains a beloved fan-favorite.
In the earlier seasons of The Walking Dead, however, Carol had not yet received the appreciation she deserved by the showrunners or the fanbase in general. Glen Mazzara, who was in charge at the time, had plans to kill her off in the unforgettable season 3 episode, “Killer Within”. Lori Grimes and T-Dog also met their demise in this episode, and if it weren’t for actress Sarah Wayne Callies telling the showrunners that Carol should be kept alive, The Walking Dead might have been a very different show today.
Glenn’s Character Development (Or Lack Thereof)
Glenn is remembered as a beloved, fan-favorite character, and his death took a significant chunk out of the series’ faithful audience. In the season 7 premiere episode, Glenn was infamously killed by Negan, infuriating the fanbase and changing The Walking Dead - for the worst - forever. A lot of hate was directed to then-showrunner Scott Gimple, and his fateful decision to have Glenn fulfill his untimely comic book death is most likely one of the reasons why the showrunner position ultimately went to veteran writer, Angela Kang.
What most fans tend to not realize is that while Glenn was undeniably a fan-favorite, we never really got the chance to know him as well as we should have. His backstory was explored briefly in seasons 1 and 2, but in the end, audiences never got to know Glenn Rhee as well as others such as Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon.
Why George Romero Turned Down Directing An Episode
The Walking Dead’s season 8 premiere was dedicated to two sadly deceased men; John Bernecker, who sadly passed away after a tragic accident on the show’s set, and George Romero. The ladder practically invented zombies, creating unforgettable films for years, and he’s highly admired and respected by fans of the genre.
The Walking Dead’s creators openly admired Romero and his work, so much so that they invited him to direct a season 3 episode of the series. Infamously, Romero denied the opportunity, but some fans might not realize how intensely he disliked the show. In an interview, he called it a “soap opera with occasional zombies”, so he really did not appreciate what it did for the genre.
Season 2 Was Important
It’s pretty much a general consensus throughout TWD’s fanbase that season 2 was not the series at it’s best. While this may be true, that doesn’t mean the season wasn’t extremely important and necessary to the show’s development.
Season 2 was heavy with character development and conflict and was crucial in revealing many character’s true colors. This is something The Walking Dead lacked severely in later seasons.
Frank Darabont Is Currently Pursuing A Lawsuit Against AMC
Frank Darabont was the original man behind the TV series adaptation of The Walking Dead, and he delivered a fresh, fascinating take on a little-known graphic novel series. When watching the early seasons of the show - such as one and two - the different feel and vibe that Darabont was going for is palpable.
Today, Frank Darabont’s career as a director and showrunner seems to be over or a least at a pause, as he’s wrapped up in a lengthy legal battle with AMC. This lawsuit over alleged unpaid funds - worth a whopping $300 million - has been in the making for years and shows no signs of wrapping up anytime soon.
Scott Gimple Wasn’t Fired
Angela Kang, who had been writing for The Walking Dead since season 2, took over as showrunner in the series’ ninth season. She was saddled with the task of writing out both Rick Grimes and Maggie Rhee, so she definitely had her work cut out for her.
While many would consider Gimple’s vision for the show to be nothing short of a hot mess, he was never fired from the franchise, like many fans still seem to think. Scott Gimple was actually promoted by AMC, as the Chief Content Manager for the entire franchise. Who knows where the logic was there.
Glen Mazzara’s Exit Had Nothing To Do With Andrea
After Glen Mazzara was let go from the series at the end of season 3, and Scott Gimple stepped in as showrunner for seasons four through eight, it was a common misconception among the TWD fanbase that Andrea’s untimely death in the season 3 finale was what pushed AMC to fire Mazzara.
The killing of Andrea - whose comic counterpart long out-survived the TV show’s adaptation - was controversial, but Mazzara was ultimately just let go due to creative differences.
It Was Never Meant To Be A Show About Zombies
Today, The Walking Dead is one of the most popular horror shows on TV, with ratings that any show would kill for. But it wasn’t always this way, and while the series primarily focuses on zombies more than ever, it has lost its original vision and purpose.
Frank Darabont never intended for the show to be about zombies, but for it to be a show about ordinary people who are forced to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Today, the show is almost unrecognizable from its original vision.
