The Walking Dead producer says networks were afraid to make the show – Winter is Coming

The Walking Dead is one of the biggest series in television today, and has been for almost a decade. While its true that ratings have dropped in recent years, the main show is still going strong, with an eleventh season coming down the pipe. Add to that the popular spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead, the upcoming spinoff The Walking Dead: World Beyond, a trilogy of movies following Rick Grimes, and you have yourself a cultural force.

But the original show wasnt a sure thing. Speaking on AMCsThe Walking Dead: Beginnings, producer Denise Huth remembers a time whenThe Walking Deadwas just a popular comic by Robert Kirkman and networks were afraid to touch it.It kicked around for about five years before AMC was finally brave enough to say yes and actually put it on the air, she said. It was one of those things that hadnt been done before. According to Huth, the show sort of broke every rule of what television is supposed to look like.

The Walking DeadTV show was originally managed byThe Shawshank Redemptiondirector Frank Darabont, andHuth recalled the moment he told her of Kirkmans comic back in 2005. [A]s he was telling me the story, I remember saying, Thats a television show. It just had all the great elements of a serialized drama.

But again, it was a challenge to make networks see what she saw. I think everybody recognized it was good, but I think they were afraid that this was going to be possibly an over-expensive show, Huth said. It was a gamble. We certainly couldnt say to anybody, This is gonna be a huge hit! We were just praying five people would watch. Its hard to begrudge everybody who said no, but it is satisfying now to look back on it.

Reflecting on season 1, Huth recalls shooting being a lot of fun. That whole first season just felt like this really cool summer camp that we all got to go to and run around Atlanta and dress people up as zombies.

I wonder if she had any idea how much of a huge success The Walking Dead would become.

Whilst were remembering the old days of The Walking Dead, lets take a look at both Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and Jon Bernthals (Shane) audition tapes. Be warned: they will make you very nostalgic.

The Walking Dead returns (finally) for its highly anticipated season 10 finale October 4 on AMC. Right after that, well get to catch the new spinoff, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Then, if you still cant get enough, the new season of Fear the Walking Dead kicks off a week later!

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The Walking Dead producer says networks were afraid to make the show - Winter is Coming