The Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd made a decision that saved the series and helped it become a phenomenon. Before working as a producer on the television adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s popular The Walking Dead comics, the veteran producer already had a prolific career in entertainment. Hurd produced several iconic science-fiction movies, including The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Aliens, along with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second movie, The Incredible Hulk.
After helping these science-fiction and superhero stories become a reality, she got involved in helping The Walking Dead television series take shape, which included finding the right network for it. Hurd was determined to do justice to Kirkman’s comics and his creative vision and was not willing to compromise on this, regardless of what network executives offered. Two major television networks were interested in making The Walking Dead, but Hurd turned them down both. The series instead ended up on AMC, where it aired for 11 seasons, along with the numerous Walking Dead spinoffs that Hurd has helped produce.
NBC & HBO Were Willing To Make The Walking Dead (But With Less Violence)
AMC Did Not Have The Same Condition
As shared by Greg Nicotero via The Huffington Post, both NBC and HBO presented offers to make The Walking Dead. However, one of their conditions was that the television adaptation’s production team would need to significantly decrease the amount of graphic violence and gore featured in Kirkman’s comics. Hurd knew that this compromise would not be faithful to the source material and to Kirkman’s creative vision, leading her to tell NBC and HBO, “No, thank you.”
She then proceeded to continue searching for the network that would best fit The Walking Dead, which led to working with AMC. 14 years after The Walking Dead‘s pilot episode debuted, the partnership between AMC and the The Walking Dead franchise’s creative teams continues to be mutually beneficial. As Nicotero explained, “Thank goodness we wound up at AMC. They totally get this show. Right from the beginning, they’ve been completely trusting and supportive of what we’ve been trying to do with this series.” This included the series not shying away from the comics’ violence and gore.
The Walking Dead Sticking To Its Premise Created The Show As We Know It
Gale Anne Hurd Saved The Show
Much of The Walking Dead‘s popularity came from the show’s entertainingly brutal exploration of a post-apocalyptic world and the sense that no character was safe from dying. These elements would not have been possible if the show had significantly toned down its violence. While there were inevitably many changes from the comics, AMC ensured that the series could remain true to its initial premise of Rick Grimes waking up from his coma months after the zombie outbreak, and would work with other survivors to navigate a lawless world.
Such violent moments would not have been possible if the series had been made by NBC or HBO, which would have fundamentally changed The Walking Dead ‘s story.
From attacking the Terminus residents in season 5, episode 1, “No Sanctuary” to the beloved characters’ heads revealed on pikes in season 9, episode 15, “The Calm Before,” many of The Walking Dead‘s best episodes featured memorable violence. These moments existed not only for spectacle but for important character development and narrative progression in the AMC series. Such violent moments would not have been possible if the series had been made by NBC or HBO, which would have fundamentally changed The Walking Dead‘s story.
HBO’s Reason For Passing The Walking Dead Looks Baffling In Hindsight
This Is The Same Network That Made Game Of Thrones
NBC wanting less violence in The Walking Dead is not surprising given the tone and ratings of most of the network’s programming. It is much more surprising that HBO passed on The Walking Dead for the same reason. Less than a year after The Walking Dead debuted on AMC, HBO released the first episode of Game of Thrones, a series known for its shocking violence, which arguably surpassed The Walking Dead in this area. Game of Thrones became even bigger than The Walking Dead, partly because of the boundaries it pushed, even though HBO previously wanted those boundaries.
TV Series
Tomatometer Score
Popcornmeter Score
The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
79%
78%
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
89%
85%
Since Game of Thrones, HBO has continued to make series featuring a great deal of violence, including its spinoff House of the Dragon, as well as Westworld, and The Last of Us. Before The Walking Dead, HBO already had its fair share of violent series, from The Wire to Oz. HBO’s decision seems strange now, but for The Walking Dead, it worked out for the best, as the series found a fitting home on AMC that continues to service the franchise well with multiple spinoffs featuring the ongoing stories of beloved characters.
