Furthering its mission to air the most successful TV drama ever supervised entirely by the accounting department, AMC announced today that The Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara will depart the series at the end of its third season (which resumes Sunday, Feb. 10). If something about this feels familiar, it’s because Mazzara is now the second showrunner to leave the hit zombie show. Series developer Frank Darabont bolted — or, as many assume, was ousted — early in the production of season two, when Mazzara took over.
The announcement is both surprising and not. The Walking Dead continues to devour almost everything else on TV in the ratings, and most found the show to be creatively rejuvenated this season, as Mazzara stripped away the fat and amped up the pacing. Still, AMC is notorious for butting heads with creatives. Look no further than the Darabont debacle or the network’s grueling 2011 contract negotiations with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. (AMC purportedly wanted to reduce the show’s budget while also taking away minutes to increase ad time. Weiner and the network eventually worked out a compromise.)
The AMC announcement states that Mazzara is leaving because of “a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward,” which, if true, is kind of crazy because, again, everyone seems to agree that the show has clearly been moving in the right direction under Mazzara. (Around these parts, it’s no secret that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the season-three episodes following — SPOILER ALERT — the death of Lori. But even though I don’t feel they’ve made the most of the Woodbury/Governor arc, I’d still much rather watch this version of the show than what the first two seasons were offering.)
Still remaining with the series is Robert Kirkman, writer of The Walking Dead comic book, because there’s no way he’s jumping off this gravy train no matter how many showrunners AMC pushes out the door. Hell, maybe by the time the network alienates their fourth showrunner, Kirkman will have enough on-set experience to run the series himself.
Source: HITFIX
Follow Bob on Twitter: @robertbtaylor
AMC seems determined to figure out how to ruin success.
Yeah, seriously. What’s the deal with those guys?
At this point, I’m guessing AMC simply doesn’t want anyone besides a thoroughly obedient yes man in charge of the show.
Wasn’t one of the issues that added to Darabont’s ouster have to do with a difference of opinion regarding where the show was headed? As a reader of the comics, I bet it has to do (not-so-vague-Spoiler?) with certain antagonists/protagonists being eliminated for the story to follow somewhat in line.
I dont get the issue aside from story; TWD tends to have almost the same amount of outdoor work & digital EFX than, say, Boardwalk Empire. Anyhoo, this brings back memories of those heady days when Sam Witwer (Darabont acolyte/Soldier Zombie inside the tank in the pilot episode) spoke of Darabont pushing for Season 2′s opener as an expensive, Black Hawk Down-esque standalone prequel with his character crossing paths with our survivors that AMC balked at.
From what I read, part of the reason Darabont left was over a major clash regarding the early episodes of season 2 (leading to nearly the entire premiere being reshot), but I’m sure there’s more to it than that.
Season 3 has been a vast improvement (so far) over season 2, but the show is still hampered by some epically stupid narrative developments and head-slappingly stupid character elements. It still amazes me how ruthlessly and efficiently they ground the Michonne character into the earth. But I’m sad to see him go, because I don’t think AMC currently knows what it’s doing with show development. Breaking Bad and Mad Men continue to succeed because they are and have been two of the best shows on TV, run by strong creative teams that know what they’re doing. Everything else AMC has launched in the last two years has been one disaster after the next. The only new show I’ve really liked at was Rubicon, and even that felt like it was hitting a wall when its first and only season ended.
Good luck AMC. This story of incredible, unrivaled success followed by a titanic flame-out is going to be an awesome HBO film someday.
I wish they could give us a Michonne-centric episode, because TV Michonne needs some context for her modus operandi. She is weirdly way more reserved with information than her comics counterpart. This might sound silly, but to me something was a tad off about her sneaking into The Governor’s place to presumably kill him for sending Merle & co. to eliminate her. And I second the notion that these characters at times act conveniently dumb for the plot’s sake.
Rubicon wasn’t hitting any wall. It was hitting its STRIDE! I still miss you, Will Travers!
They’re gonna turn Rick into a zombie as a fourth season “shocker”, just wait and see.
Yes — Rubicon was the shit. Let’s just hope season three of TWD isn’t headed for the shitter.