Last June, Walking Dead producer David Alpert made headlines when he revealed that the creative team behind the series had a “pretty good idea” about some of the key moments that would occur on the show when it reached its 10th, 11th, and 12th seasons. The thing is, though The Walking Dead is presently a juggernaut with a sister-series potentially on the way, its long-term future isn’t assured. Things change, show’s age, cast members leave, and suddenly the best laid plans of mice and men who dream of fat syndication checks don’t mean that much anymore.
That’s not to say that The Walking Dead can’t get there, it probably can, but there’s this thing about counting chickens before they hatch. One chicken that Alpert and Walking Dead fans can count on, though, is the season six chicken. I took this analogy too far.
“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of The Walking Dead with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier in a statement. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”
This really does belong in the “No sh*t, Sherlock” pile, does it not? Right now, the show is one of TV’s buzziest and most popular entries with a fan-base that is practically vibrating with anticipation for the new season. Besides, it’s not like AMC can count on Halt and Catch Fire to be its flagship.
If there’s any kind of “wow” revelation in AMC’s announcement, it’s that Scott Gimple is slated to return to the show. That’s not a knock on Gimple, whose guiding hand has stabilized a show that seemed to be creatively adrift at times under Glen Mazzara. It’s more an acknowledgement that The Walking Dead‘s showrunner issues may be a thing of the past. Besides, they can’t fire Gimple now, he knows what happens in season 12.
Source: EW
