It’s fitting that a show about zombies is the one that will outlive us all. Indeed, ahead of the highly anticipated Season 7 premiere this coming Sunday, AMC has pre-emptively renewedThe Walking Deadfor an eighth season. The news comes as a surprise to absolutely no one, as the series has consistently proved to be AMC’s biggest hit as well as one of the biggest shows on television period. For years, traditional network TV ratings lorded over everything else, and thenThe Walking Deadcame. The series broke the mold in that it is the #1 show on television in the coveted 18-49 demographic, proving that television has truly entered the age of expanded cable.
The Walking DeadSeason 8 is noteworthy in that it will see the show air its 100th episode, which is a mighty feat for a show as serialized as this. When the show premiered back in 2010, it was on the heels of the network’s smashing success ofMad Menand, at that point at least, to a lesser extentBreaking Bad. The short-lived dramaRubiconaired that summer, but October saw the splashy debut ofThe Walking Dead, an adaptation of theRobert Kirkmangraphic novel of the same name with one hell of a prestige talent serving as creator/showrunner—The Shawshank RedemptionfilmmakerFrank Darabont.
While the series saw modest ratings and critical success in its six-episode first season, it reached new heights in its second. Unfortunately, behind-the-scenes tension saw Darabont forced out halfway through the airing of Season 2, at which pointGlen Mazzaratook over.And then, at the end of Season 3, Mazzara stepped down andScott M. Gimpleassumed showrunner duties. Gimple has been at the helm ever since, with Kirkman serving as a key creative force andGreg Nicoteroexpanding his role from makeup guru to frequent director.
The Walking DeadSeason 8 will once again consist of 16 episodes, withChris Hardwick’s aftershowTalking Deadalso renewed for another season. They’ll both debut in “Late 2017,” although given that AMC is now prone to squeezing two marketing cycles out of each season, one imagines the 16 episodes will be split in half complete with a “midseason finale” and “midseason premiere.”
For now, Season 7 debuts this coming Sunday, at which point we’ll all presumably find out who meets the end of Negan’s bat.Any guesses?
