H
oly crap. Check out this article in the Hollywood Reporter. It details the savage firing of Frank Darabont from the successful show he shepherded into production last year, AMC’s The Walking Dead. To summarize, he was fired for trying to fix an episode the network had deemed unfixable. Obviously, they waited to can him until after he had promoted the show at Comic Con. Ruthless. Also, the cast is terrified to say anything to the press for fear of getting sacked (it’s a zombie show, they are all expendable) and Darabont isn’t talking until his final settlement is negotiated.
Darabont isn’t known for keeping mum about things that piss him off, so expect the fine details to emerge eventually. What this means for the show is anyone’s guess, and I know a lot of people had problems with the first season, but I kind of doubt Darabont’s leadership was one of them. I can’t imagine a terrified cast (although it is a horror show) and a messy showrunner changeover like this will help, but who knows. I’m sure lots of crazy shit has gone down on shows before that didn’t interfere with the quality of the episodes. But still, this is a nasty bit of business, that’s for sure.
I’m going to go on record and say regardless of how it affects the show, this sucks. Boo AMC.
16 comments
Good. Anything to get him away from this garbage.
Check your link, Sebastian. One too many http’s.
Like a cold blooded gangsta… goddamn. Fired for doing his job.
Fixed, thanks!
1) Yes, AMC may have an issue with how they treat their creative people
but
2) The show is TERRIBLE, and was terrible with Darabont in charge. I won’t be even watching this next season, but since Darabont has done interesting stuff in the past I hope this gives him a chance to move onto a new better project. And hopefully execute that project better than he did with TWD
The first season had problems but it was far from terrible. The first episode alone was better than most TV shows period. Spare us your hyperbolic opinion.
Yes, because treacly fecal matter like THE MAJESTIC is soooooo much more worthy of his time and talent…
Agreed. The show is miles from terrible. Season 1 was far from perfect, including some poor story choices, but shit…people get a weekly zombie TV show and still find reasons to complain.
Darabont`s departure has little or no visible impact on the next season’s quality. For all we know, the new showrunner might knock it out of the park. But there’s no excuse for AMC’s actions. Trotting the man out to talk up Season 2, then kicking him to the curb reeks of corporate douchebaggery. The way they handled this out-and-out shitty, plain and simple.
When it comes to stuff like this, and the Mad Men/Breaking Bad drama, I’m almost actively rooting for AMC to fail and the shows’ rights to be bought out and transplanted over to FX or HBO or somewhere. They don’t deserve the success, the way they’re handling it.
That Pilot was easily the best Pilot of 2010.
This is as good an opportunity as any to trot out my unposted comment from the last time AMC NETWORK was discussed on CHUD.
To wit: it seems fairly clear at this point that AMC did not foster or appropriate talented people and great shows so much as stumbled into them. Granted that MAD MEN may have been a slightly tougher sell but it came from one the SOPRANOS writers. Ergo, there is nothing going on at AMC different than the b.s. at all other networks. They just lucked out twice (MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD).
The sooner they cancel the tv series the sooner we can get a The Walking Dead movie!
I thought S1 was excellent, but too brief. Six episodes? That doesn’t even qualify as a season on the BBC.
I very much dislike the show and the actors on it. It was on par with the uk SURVIVORS show, just barely watchable, except the characters were IMHO less interesting as was the premise of the show because it was exactly like every other zombie thing ever. It’s not hyperbole, it’s just MHO
Goddammit…I just realized my message board block on Princess Kate doesn’t work in the Comments section.
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