The Walking Dead (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic
horror
television series developed for television by Frank Darabont
and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead
, by Robert Kirkman
, Tony Moore
and Charlie Adlard
. The series centers on a small group of survivors led by Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes
and his family.
The series premiered on October 31, 2010, and is broadcast on the cable television channel AMC in the United States.
The first season premiered to universal acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including the Best Television Series Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes which premiered on October 16, 2011.
Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced that the show would return for a third season.
. Most of the story takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, as the survivors search for a new home away from the shuffling hordes of the undead (or "walkers" as they are called by the survivors). The plot is focused primarily on the human element of a post-apocalyptic world and the way the struggling humans survive. The group is led by Rick Grimes
, who was a sheriff
's deputy in a small Georgia
town before the zombie outbreak. As their situation grows more hazardous, the group's desperation to survive pushes them to the brink of insanity. At every turn they are faced with the unbearable horrors that come from having the dead walk again, the changing dynamic of their group, as well as facing hostility from the scattered remains of a struggling human populace who are focused on their own survival, now that the structures of global society have collapsed.
, who was shot and ended up in a coma
for an indeterminate time. When he awakens, he finds a post-apocalyptic world overrun with the walking dead. He leaves the hospital and discovers his wife and son are missing. Rick arms himself and, after hearing a rumor from a survivor, begins a perilous journey for Atlanta, where the CDC
is said to have set up a quarantined safe-zone in the city and where his family may be hiding. During his journey, Rick sees the devastation left by the "walkers" (a nickname given to the zombies). Upon reaching Atlanta, he soon discovers that the city is overrun by the undead and is no longer safe.
A few miles outside the city, Rick's wife Lori and his son Carl have been hiding from the walkers with Shane Walsh, Rick's former colleague and best friend. They have established a camp with a small group of survivors from around the country. After being rescued from Atlanta by the group and reunited with Lori and Carl, Rick assumes a command position with Shane and must take responsibility not only for his family but also for the survival of the group. Part of the group goes back into Atlanta to recover weapons, where they come into conflict with other survivors, but Rick soon eases the tensions. However, on their return to their camp, they find it has been nearly overrun by walkers. Hoping to find medical treatment for an injured member, the remainder decide to return to Atlanta and seek aid from the CDC.
In the CDC "safezone", all but one staff member, Dr. Edwin Jenner, have either fled or killed themselves. Dr. Jenner explains his research into the cause of the "zombie apocalypse
". But the CDC building is not the safe haven the group believed. The following day, lack of fuel for the generators causes certain safety protocols to be initiated, which will result in the destruction of the CDC. Dr. Jenner explains that the French may have found a cure, as they survived the longest in their labs. Dr. Jenner and Jacqui, a member of Rick's group, elect to stay in the CDC despite the impending explosion. Before the group flees, Dr. Jenner whispers something unknown into Rick's ear. The group escapes just as Jenner and Jacqui are killed by the building's self-destruct sequence.
broke cable ratings records in the 18–49 demographic, as announced by AMC president, Charlie Collier, "We are thankful for everyone’s contribution in front of and behind the camera as we continue to make The Walking Dead a unique television experience. And, we are so proud as it continues to set viewership records around the world."
The series features several actors that Walking Dead developer Frank Darabont has worked with previously, including Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn and Melissa McBride. All three appeared in his 2007 film The Mist
, along with Thomas Jane
, who originally was set to star in the series when it was pitched to HBO. He's also in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series. Laurie Holden also appeared in the 2001 film The Majestic (she played Adele Stanton, Jim Carrey
's character's love interest), which Darabont directed. DeMunn has also appeared in several of Darabont's films, in addition to The Mist and The Majestic, he also appeared in The Shawshank Redemption
(1994) and The Green Mile
(1999).
and Gale Anne Hurd
acting as executive producers and Darabont writing and directing. The entire series was pre-ordered based just on the strength of the source material, the television scripts, and Darabont's involvement. In January 2010 a review of the pilot episode's script attracted further attention. The pilot began filming in Atlanta, Georgia
on May 15, 2010 after AMC had officially ordered a six episode first season. The series' remaining episodes began filming on June 2, 2010 with Darabont serving as showrunner.
On August 31, 2010, Darabont reported that The Walking Dead had been picked up for a second season, with production to begin in February 2011. On November 8, 2010, AMC confirmed that there would be a second season consisting of 13 episodes. He would also like to include some of the "environmental elements" that take place during Volume 2 of Kirkman's book.
On October 25, 2011 AMC Announced officially that it has ordered another season of the Walking Dead saying "Season 2 continues to deliver the strongest telecasts for any drama in basic cable history."
directed the second episode. Executive producer Charles H. Eglee
and co-executive producer Jack LoGiudice
co-wrote the third episode with Darabont, with the installment directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton
. The fourth episode was written by executive producer Robert Kirkman
, the creator and writer of the comic book, and it was directed by Johan Renck
. The fifth episode was written by Glen Mazzara
and directed by Ernest Dickerson
. The sixth episode was written by consulting producer Adam Fierro
and directed by Guy Ferland
.
On December 1, 2010, Deadline.com
reported that Darabont had fired his writing staff, including executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee
, and plans to use freelance writers for the second season. Kirkman called the announcement "premature" and clarified that Eglee left to pursue other projects when Darabont decided to stay on as showrunner and that no definitive plans had been made regarding the writing staff for season two.
On December 3, 2010, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd
commented that "It's completely inaccurate. [In] the writers' room, there are people that have set up other projects that will be their first priority if their own series is picked up as a pilot or if it's a series. I think [Eglee] just decided that he wants to run his own show." She revealed that it is likely the show will return in October 2011, as Darabont and Kirkman plan on mapping out the next season early in 2011. She also confirmed that "every one of the principal cast is signed up for multiple seasons."
In July 2011, series developer and showrunner Frank Darabont stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series. It was believed that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series, however, The Hollywood Reporter
reported he had been fired. Executive producer Glen Mazzara
was then appointed the new showrunner.
. David Tattersall
was the director of photography for the pilot episode with David Boyd
as the director of photography on the remainder of the episodes. Production design is done by Greg Melton and Alex Hajdu. The effects team includes veteran special effects makeup designer Gregory Nicotero
, special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam Nicholson and Jason Sperling.
and Hong Kong
, and ending in Los Angeles
for the U.S. premiere, within a 24 hour period.
The show's official website released, just prior to the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, a motion comic based on Issue #1 of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr
. The site also posted a making-of documentary primarily about the first episode, as well as a number of other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, comic series creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman
as well as artist Charlie Adlard
say they are pleased with how faithful the show is to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings.
Action figures of characters from the series, including Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon and a zombie Walker and Biter, were created for release in November 2011. The figures, which are manufactured by McFarlane Toys
, are designed to resemble the actors on the series. Figures created to resemble the characters as drawn in the comic book were released in September 2011.
premiered. The series airs after encore presentations of The Walking Dead Sunday nights. It feature host Chris Hardwick discussing the latest episode with fans, actors, and producers of the show.
during the first week of November. The first season premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl
on August 30, 2011.
Almost two weeks before the official premiere on AMC, the pilot episode leaked online.
International broadcast rights for the show were sold and announced on June 14, 2010.
The season 1 DVD
and Blu-ray was released on March 8, 2011. A three-disc special edition of the first season—featuring new featurettes and audio commentaries—was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 4, 2011.
The European versions of the first season DVD and Blu-ray are edited for gore, with cuts to episode two ("Guts"), episode three ("Tell It to the Frogs"), episode four ("Vatos") and episode five ("Wildfire").
based on 25 reviews. The second season continued to receive positive reviews, scoring 80 out of 100 based on 22 reviews. Nancy deWolf Smith
from The Wall Street Journal
said that the "pilot episode [is] so good that it has hooked even a zombie hater like me." She said that what made the show so good was that it feels real and looks cinematic. Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com
included the show on their list of 9 new TV shows not to miss, giving it a grade of "A", with the author saying "A film-quality drama series about zombies? Somebody pinch me!"
. The premiere had 579,000 viewers, almost double for any other show on FX that week. The viewership dipped during the season then rose to 522,000 viewers for the final episode. The terrestrial premiere on Channel 5 on April 10, 2011, averaged 1.46 million viewers.
s. It was nominated for Best Television Series Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
. It was also named during the American Film Institute Awards 2010
as one of the top 10 television programs of 2010. For the 2011 Saturn Award
s, the series received six nominations—for Best Television Presentation, Andrew Lincoln
for Best Actor in Television, Sarah Wayne Callies
for Best Actress on Television, Steven Yeun
for Best Supporting Actor in Television, Laurie Holden
for Best Supporting Actress in Television, and Noah Emmerich
for Best Guest Starring Role in Television. The series was nominated for Best Drama Series at the inaugural 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards
. The pilot episode "Days Gone Bye" received three nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
—it was nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series and won for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special.
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
television series developed for television by Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont is a Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and producer who has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe. He has directed the films The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, all based on stories by Stephen King...
and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white US comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue...
, by Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
, Tony Moore
Tony Moore (artist)
Michael Anthony "Tony" Moore is an American comic book artist, whose work consists mainly of genre pieces, most notably in horror and science fiction, with titles such as The Walking Dead, Fear Agent and The Exterminators.-Career:...
and Charlie Adlard
Charlie Adlard
Charles "Charlie" Adlard is a British comic book artist and penciller.He is best known for providing art on The Walking Dead and Savage.-Biography:...
. The series centers on a small group of survivors led by Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes is a fictional character in the ongoing black-and-white comic book series The Walking Dead and as well as its television series adaptation, The Walking Dead.-Comic book series:...
and his family.
The series premiered on October 31, 2010, and is broadcast on the cable television channel AMC in the United States.
The first season premiered to universal acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including the Best Television Series Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
68th Golden Globe Awards
The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais....
. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes which premiered on October 16, 2011.
Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced that the show would return for a third season.
Series overview
The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypseZombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
. Most of the story takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, as the survivors search for a new home away from the shuffling hordes of the undead (or "walkers" as they are called by the survivors). The plot is focused primarily on the human element of a post-apocalyptic world and the way the struggling humans survive. The group is led by Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes is a fictional character in the ongoing black-and-white comic book series The Walking Dead and as well as its television series adaptation, The Walking Dead.-Comic book series:...
, who was a sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
's deputy in a small Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
town before the zombie outbreak. As their situation grows more hazardous, the group's desperation to survive pushes them to the brink of insanity. At every turn they are faced with the unbearable horrors that come from having the dead walk again, the changing dynamic of their group, as well as facing hostility from the scattered remains of a struggling human populace who are focused on their own survival, now that the structures of global society have collapsed.
Season 1 (2010)
The first season centers on Deputy Rick GrimesRick Grimes
Rick Grimes is a fictional character in the ongoing black-and-white comic book series The Walking Dead and as well as its television series adaptation, The Walking Dead.-Comic book series:...
, who was shot and ended up in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
for an indeterminate time. When he awakens, he finds a post-apocalyptic world overrun with the walking dead. He leaves the hospital and discovers his wife and son are missing. Rick arms himself and, after hearing a rumor from a survivor, begins a perilous journey for Atlanta, where the CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
is said to have set up a quarantined safe-zone in the city and where his family may be hiding. During his journey, Rick sees the devastation left by the "walkers" (a nickname given to the zombies). Upon reaching Atlanta, he soon discovers that the city is overrun by the undead and is no longer safe.
A few miles outside the city, Rick's wife Lori and his son Carl have been hiding from the walkers with Shane Walsh, Rick's former colleague and best friend. They have established a camp with a small group of survivors from around the country. After being rescued from Atlanta by the group and reunited with Lori and Carl, Rick assumes a command position with Shane and must take responsibility not only for his family but also for the survival of the group. Part of the group goes back into Atlanta to recover weapons, where they come into conflict with other survivors, but Rick soon eases the tensions. However, on their return to their camp, they find it has been nearly overrun by walkers. Hoping to find medical treatment for an injured member, the remainder decide to return to Atlanta and seek aid from the CDC.
In the CDC "safezone", all but one staff member, Dr. Edwin Jenner, have either fled or killed themselves. Dr. Jenner explains his research into the cause of the "zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
". But the CDC building is not the safe haven the group believed. The following day, lack of fuel for the generators causes certain safety protocols to be initiated, which will result in the destruction of the CDC. Dr. Jenner explains that the French may have found a cure, as they survived the longest in their labs. Dr. Jenner and Jacqui, a member of Rick's group, elect to stay in the CDC despite the impending explosion. Before the group flees, Dr. Jenner whispers something unknown into Rick's ear. The group escapes just as Jenner and Jacqui are killed by the building's self-destruct sequence.
Season 2 (2011–2012)
The second season premiered on October 16, 2011 and will feature 13 episodes. At a 2011 Paley Center for Media panel, it was announced that the second season will feature Grimes' group of survivors leaving Atlanta for the countryside, including the Greene family farm, a setting in the comic book series. Filming of season 2 began in June 2011 in the greater Atlanta area. Prior to the start of season 2, a 6-part webisode series aired October 3, 2011 on AMC's website. The webisodes detail the events just when the outbreak began, specifically the life of Hannah, also known as "bicycle girl", who appeared in the first episode of the series.Season 3 (2012)
AMC renewed The Walking Dead for a third season on October 25, 2011, after the season two premiereWhat Lies Ahead
"What Lies Ahead" is the first episode of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 16, 2011. The episode was written by series developer Frank Darabont and series creator Robert Kirkman, and...
broke cable ratings records in the 18–49 demographic, as announced by AMC president, Charlie Collier, "We are thankful for everyone’s contribution in front of and behind the camera as we continue to make The Walking Dead a unique television experience. And, we are so proud as it continues to set viewership records around the world."
Main
- Andrew LincolnAndrew LincolnAndrew Lincoln is an English actor, known for his roles in the TV series This Life, Teachers and Afterlife, and the films Love Actually and Heartbreaker...
as Rick GrimesRick GrimesRick Grimes is a fictional character in the ongoing black-and-white comic book series The Walking Dead and as well as its television series adaptation, The Walking Dead.-Comic book series:... - Jon BernthalJon BernthalJonathan E. "Jon" Bernthal is an American actor, best known for his role on the AMC television series The Walking Dead.-Early life:...
as Shane Walsh - Sarah Wayne CalliesSarah Wayne CalliesSarah Wayne Callies is an American actress who is best known for her role as Sara Tancredi in the American television series Prison Break. She now plays Lori Grimes in The Walking Dead.- Early life :...
as Lori Grimes - Laurie HoldenLaurie HoldenHeather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress and human rights activist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, Olivia Murray in The Shield, and Andrea in The...
as Andrea - Jeffrey DeMunnJeffrey DeMunnJeffrey DeMunn is an American theatre, film and television actor.-Life and career:DeMunn was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Violet and James DeMunn. Stepson of noted actress Betty Lutes DeMunn...
as Dale Horvath - Steven YeunSteven YeunSteven Yeun is a Korean-born American actor. Yeun is currently starring in the role of Glenn in AMC's original series, The Walking Dead since 2010. Other than The Walking Dead, Yeun guest starred in the critically acclaimed American sit-com The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon's former room mate...
as Glenn - Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes
- Norman ReedusNorman ReedusNorman Mark Reedus is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal as Murphy MacManus in the 1999 film The Boondock Saints as well as its 2009 sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day and for the character of Daryl Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead...
as Daryl Dixon (recurring season 1; regular season 2)
Recurring
- Melissa McBrideMelissa McBrideMelissa McBride is an American actress best known for her roles as Carol Peletier in the AMC-TV series The Walking Dead and as the "Woman With Kids at Home" in Frank Darabont's 2007 adaptation of Stephen King's "The Mist." She is also a casting director in Atlanta, Georgia.-Filmography:* Matlock...
as Carol Peletier (season 1-2) - IronE Singleton as Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas (season 1–2)
- Madison Lintz as Sophia Peletier (season 1–2)
- Michael RookerMichael RookerMichael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
as Merle Dixon (season 1–2) - Emma BellEmma BellEmma Jean Bell is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Parker O'Neil, one of the main characters in the 2010 film Frozen, and as Amy in The Walking Dead. Bell played the female lead in the thriller-horror film Final Destination 5...
as Amy (season 1) - Jeryl Prescott SalesJeryl PrescottJeryl Prescott Sales is an American film and television actress. Prescott is best known for her recurring role as Jacqui in the television series, The Walking Dead, which premiered on AMC in 2010...
as Jacqui (season 1) - Andrew RothenbergAndrew RothenbergAndrew Rothenberg is an American stage, television and film actor. Rothenberg is known for reoccurring roles in major television series, including as Agent Phil Schlatter on Weeds and his portrayal of Malcolm on the HBO vampire series, True Blood.Most recently, Rothenberg has been cast as Jim, a...
as Jim (season 1) - Juan ParejaJuan Gabriel ParejaJuan Gabriel Pareja is an American actor. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, to parents who immigrated from Colombia, Pareja is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University....
as Morales (season 1) - Adam MinarovichAdam MinarovichAdam Minarovich is an American actor, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his recurring role as Ed in the American television series, The Walking Dead....
as Ed Peletier (season 1–2) - Noah EmmerichNoah EmmerichNoah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
as Dr. Edwin Jenner (season 1) - Scott WilsonScott Wilson (actor)Scott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:Wilson appeared in such films as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, and...
as Hershel Greene (season 2) - Lauren CohanLauren CohanLauren Cohan is an American actress. Her most recognized role to date is that of the role of Bela Talbot on Supernatural...
as Maggie Greene (season 2) - Emily Kinney as Beth Greene (season 2)
- Pruitt Taylor VincePruitt Taylor VincePruitt Taylor Vince is an American award-winning character actor who has made many appearances in film and television.-Personal life:Vince was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
as Otis (season 2) - Jane McNeill as Patricia (season 2)
- James McCune as Jimmy (season 2)
- Michael ZegenMichael ZegenMichael Zegen is an American actor, best known for his role as probie firefighter "Damien Keefe" on the FX Network television drama Rescue Me, as well as his recurring role as "Dwight the Troubled Teen" on over 50 episodes of the Late Show with David Letterman...
as Randall (season 2)
The series features several actors that Walking Dead developer Frank Darabont has worked with previously, including Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn and Melissa McBride. All three appeared in his 2007 film The Mist
The Mist (film)
The Mist is a 2007 American science-fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted Stephen King's works The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile...
, along with Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
, who originally was set to star in the series when it was pitched to HBO. He's also in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series. Laurie Holden also appeared in the 2001 film The Majestic (she played Adele Stanton, Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
's character's love interest), which Darabont directed. DeMunn has also appeared in several of Darabont's films, in addition to The Mist and The Majestic, he also appeared in The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
(1994) and The Green Mile
The Green Mile (film)
The Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film directed by Frank Darabont and adapted by him from the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name...
(1999).
Development history
On January 20, 2010 AMC officially announced that it had ordered a pilot for a possible series adapted from The Walking Dead comic book series, with Frank DarabontFrank Darabont
Frank Darabont is a Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and producer who has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe. He has directed the films The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, all based on stories by Stephen King...
and Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd is an American film producer and screenwriter.-Early life:Hurd was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lolita and Frank E. Hurd, an investor. She grew up in Palm Springs, California and graduated from Stanford University with a B.A...
acting as executive producers and Darabont writing and directing. The entire series was pre-ordered based just on the strength of the source material, the television scripts, and Darabont's involvement. In January 2010 a review of the pilot episode's script attracted further attention. The pilot began filming in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
on May 15, 2010 after AMC had officially ordered a six episode first season. The series' remaining episodes began filming on June 2, 2010 with Darabont serving as showrunner.
On August 31, 2010, Darabont reported that The Walking Dead had been picked up for a second season, with production to begin in February 2011. On November 8, 2010, AMC confirmed that there would be a second season consisting of 13 episodes. He would also like to include some of the "environmental elements" that take place during Volume 2 of Kirkman's book.
On October 25, 2011 AMC Announced officially that it has ordered another season of the Walking Dead saying "Season 2 continues to deliver the strongest telecasts for any drama in basic cable history."
Writing
On July 17, 2010, Darabont revealed who would be writing and directing the six episodes of the first season. Darabont wrote/co-wrote the first three episodes and directed the premiere episode. Michelle MacLarenMichelle MacLaren
Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is a Canadian television director and producer who has worked on numerous series both in Canada and the United States, and is perhaps best known for her work on shows such as The X-Files, Breaking Bad and most recently Frank Darabont's acclaimed series The Walking Dead...
directed the second episode. Executive producer Charles H. Eglee
Charles H. Eglee
Charles H. Eglee is an Emmy Award winning American film and television writer and producer. He worked extensively for Steven Bochco productions throughout the 1990s. For Bochco productions he co-created Byrds of Paradise with frequent collaborator Channing Gibson and co-created Murder One with...
and co-executive producer Jack LoGiudice
Jack LoGiudice
Jack LoGiudice is an American television writer and producer, best known for his work on the FX series Sons of Anarchy and most recently worked as a co-executive producer and writer on the critically acclaimed The Walking Dead on AMC.- Biography :...
co-wrote the third episode with Darabont, with the installment directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton
Gwyneth Horder-Payton
Gwyneth Horder-Payton is an American film and television director.Since the late 1980s, she worked as an assistant director on a number of notable films namely Pacific Heights, The Doors, Raising Cain, I Love Trouble, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco and number of other films.She made her...
. The fourth episode was written by executive producer Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
, the creator and writer of the comic book, and it was directed by Johan Renck
Johan Renck
Bo Johan Renck is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He is an occasional recording artist using the moniker Stakka Bo.-Music videos:...
. The fifth episode was written by Glen Mazzara
Glen Mazzara
Glen Mazzara is an American television producer and writer.-Biography:Mazzara was born in Manhattan and grew up in Queens, New York. He attended NYU and earned a masters in English...
and directed by Ernest Dickerson
Ernest Dickerson
Ernest Roscoe Dickerson A.S.C. is an American film and television director and cinematographer. He directed generally urban films sometimes with supernatural stories like Juice, Tales from the Crypt Presents Demon Knight, Bones and Never Die Alone...
. The sixth episode was written by consulting producer Adam Fierro
Adam Fierro
-Biography:Fierro began his television career as a freelance writer. He wrote two scripts for the first season of Resurrection Blvd. in 2000. In 2002 he returned as a co-producer and writer for the third season and contributed a further three episodes....
and directed by Guy Ferland
Guy Ferland
Guy Ferland is an American film and television director.-Career:After Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film Notorious inspired him to become a filmmaker, Ferland went on to study cinema production at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema and Television, graduating in 1988, and received...
.
On December 1, 2010, Deadline.com
Deadline.com
Deadline.com, part of Jay Penske's PMC, is an online magazine, founded and edited by Nikki Finke.-Publication:The site is updated several times a day, with the infotainment industry as its focus.-History:...
reported that Darabont had fired his writing staff, including executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee
Charles H. Eglee
Charles H. Eglee is an Emmy Award winning American film and television writer and producer. He worked extensively for Steven Bochco productions throughout the 1990s. For Bochco productions he co-created Byrds of Paradise with frequent collaborator Channing Gibson and co-created Murder One with...
, and plans to use freelance writers for the second season. Kirkman called the announcement "premature" and clarified that Eglee left to pursue other projects when Darabont decided to stay on as showrunner and that no definitive plans had been made regarding the writing staff for season two.
On December 3, 2010, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd is an American film producer and screenwriter.-Early life:Hurd was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lolita and Frank E. Hurd, an investor. She grew up in Palm Springs, California and graduated from Stanford University with a B.A...
commented that "It's completely inaccurate. [In] the writers' room, there are people that have set up other projects that will be their first priority if their own series is picked up as a pilot or if it's a series. I think [Eglee] just decided that he wants to run his own show." She revealed that it is likely the show will return in October 2011, as Darabont and Kirkman plan on mapping out the next season early in 2011. She also confirmed that "every one of the principal cast is signed up for multiple seasons."
In July 2011, series developer and showrunner Frank Darabont stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series. It was believed that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series, however, The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
reported he had been fired. Executive producer Glen Mazzara
Glen Mazzara
Glen Mazzara is an American television producer and writer.-Biography:Mazzara was born in Manhattan and grew up in Queens, New York. He attended NYU and earned a masters in English...
was then appointed the new showrunner.
Filming
The series is completely shot on 16 mm film16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
. David Tattersall
David Tattersall
David Tattersall BSC is a noted British cinematographer. He has worked on many big-budget films and has won an Emmy Award for his cinematography on the The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series...
was the director of photography for the pilot episode with David Boyd
David Boyd (cinematographer)
David R. Boyd A.S.C. is an American cinematographer, television director and camera operator best known for his role as director of photography for the FOX television series Firefly. He also worked as cinematographer on the first three episodes of HBO's Deadwood...
as the director of photography on the remainder of the episodes. Production design is done by Greg Melton and Alex Hajdu. The effects team includes veteran special effects makeup designer Gregory Nicotero
Gregory Nicotero
Gregory Nicotero is an American special effects creator and actor. In 1988, along with Robert Kurtzman and Howard Berger, he formed KNB Efx Group, a special effects studio which has gone on to work on over 400 film and television projects...
, special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam Nicholson and Jason Sperling.
Marketing
The Walking Dead debuted during the same week in 120 countries. As part of an expansive campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, AMC and FOX International Channels coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event on October 26, 2010. The stunt involved invading 26 major cities, starting with TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and ending in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for the U.S. premiere, within a 24 hour period.
The show's official website released, just prior to the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, a motion comic based on Issue #1 of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
. The site also posted a making-of documentary primarily about the first episode, as well as a number of other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, comic series creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
as well as artist Charlie Adlard
Charlie Adlard
Charles "Charlie" Adlard is a British comic book artist and penciller.He is best known for providing art on The Walking Dead and Savage.-Biography:...
say they are pleased with how faithful the show is to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings.
Action figures of characters from the series, including Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon and a zombie Walker and Biter, were created for release in November 2011. The figures, which are manufactured by McFarlane Toys
McFarlane Toys
McFarlane Toys, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is a company started by Todd McFarlane that makes highly detailed models of characters from movies, comics, musicians, video games, and sport figures...
, are designed to resemble the actors on the series. Figures created to resemble the characters as drawn in the comic book were released in September 2011.
Talking Dead
Following the encore presentation of the second season premiere on October 16, 2011, a live after-show titled Talking Dead hosted by Chris HardwickChris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, podcaster, television personality, and voice artist...
premiered. The series airs after encore presentations of The Walking Dead Sunday nights. It feature host Chris Hardwick discussing the latest episode with fans, actors, and producers of the show.
Release
Scenes from the pilot were screened July 23, 2010 as part of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. It premiered on AMC on October 31, 2010. It premiered internationally on Fox International ChannelsFox International Channels
Fox International Channels is a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, which is a part of Rupert Murdoch's global media conglomerate News Corporation...
during the first week of November. The first season premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl
TVB Pearl
TVB Pearl is one of the two free television services in Hong Kong that mainly broadcast in the English language, the other being ATV World. It is owned and operated by Television Broadcasts Limited, and together with its sister Cantonese language station TVB Jade, is broadcast from TVB City at 77...
on August 30, 2011.
Almost two weeks before the official premiere on AMC, the pilot episode leaked online.
International broadcast rights for the show were sold and announced on June 14, 2010.
The season 1 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray was released on March 8, 2011. A three-disc special edition of the first season—featuring new featurettes and audio commentaries—was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 4, 2011.
The European versions of the first season DVD and Blu-ray are edited for gore, with cuts to episode two ("Guts"), episode three ("Tell It to the Frogs"), episode four ("Vatos") and episode five ("Wildfire").
Critical reception
The first season was acclaimed by critics, receiving a score of 82 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 25 reviews. The second season continued to receive positive reviews, scoring 80 out of 100 based on 22 reviews. Nancy deWolf Smith
Nancy deWolf Smith
Nancy deWolf Smith is an editor and member of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board since 1999.- Biography :Between 1995 and 1999, Smith was editorial page editor for the Asian Wall Street Journal. Previously she was senior editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and has worked at National...
from The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
said that the "pilot episode [is] so good that it has hooked even a zombie hater like me." She said that what made the show so good was that it feels real and looks cinematic. Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
included the show on their list of 9 new TV shows not to miss, giving it a grade of "A", with the author saying "A film-quality drama series about zombies? Somebody pinch me!"
Season 1
The pilot received 5.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched series premiere episode of any AMC television series. The first season finale received 6 million viewers, a season high; with 4 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic, making it the most watched basic cable series for the demographic. In the United Kingdom, it premiered one week after it did in the United States, on November 5, 2010 on cable channel, FXFX (UK)
FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
. The premiere had 579,000 viewers, almost double for any other show on FX that week. The viewership dipped during the season then rose to 522,000 viewers for the final episode. The terrestrial premiere on Channel 5 on April 10, 2011, averaged 1.46 million viewers.
Season 2
On October 16, 2011, the season two premiere set a new record of 7.3 million viewers. The episode also set new records for the most viewers in the 18–49 and 25–54 demographics, with 4.8 million and 4.2 million viewers respectively, making it the most watched episode of a drama in the history of basic cable television in these measures. The original broadcast and the two subsequent encore presentations of the episode drew a collective total of 11 million viewers.Awards and nominations
The Walking Dead was nominated for Best New Series for the 2011 Writers Guild of America AwardWriters Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
s. It was nominated for Best Television Series Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
68th Golden Globe Awards
The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais....
. It was also named during the American Film Institute Awards 2010
American Film Institute Awards 2010
The American Film Institute Awards 2010 honored the best 10 Movies and 10 Television Programs of the year. This is one of the few years where almost all of the films are Best Picture nominees...
as one of the top 10 television programs of 2010. For the 2011 Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s, the series received six nominations—for Best Television Presentation, Andrew Lincoln
Andrew Lincoln
Andrew Lincoln is an English actor, known for his roles in the TV series This Life, Teachers and Afterlife, and the films Love Actually and Heartbreaker...
for Best Actor in Television, Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies is an American actress who is best known for her role as Sara Tancredi in the American television series Prison Break. She now plays Lori Grimes in The Walking Dead.- Early life :...
for Best Actress on Television, Steven Yeun
Steven Yeun
Steven Yeun is a Korean-born American actor. Yeun is currently starring in the role of Glenn in AMC's original series, The Walking Dead since 2010. Other than The Walking Dead, Yeun guest starred in the critically acclaimed American sit-com The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon's former room mate...
for Best Supporting Actor in Television, Laurie Holden
Laurie Holden
Heather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress and human rights activist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, Olivia Murray in The Shield, and Andrea in The...
for Best Supporting Actress in Television, and Noah Emmerich
Noah Emmerich
Noah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
for Best Guest Starring Role in Television. The series was nominated for Best Drama Series at the inaugural 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards
1st Critics' Choice Television Awards
The 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards, presented by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association , the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, and took place on June 20, 2011 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California...
. The pilot episode "Days Gone Bye" received three nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...
—it was nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series and won for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special.