The Walking Dead renewed for season 4/Glen Mazzara out

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Enterprise is Great, Dec 21, 2012.

  1. Enterprise is Great

    Enterprise is Great Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2004
    Location:
    The Island
    deadline.com

    Good news about the renewal but what is it with AMC and their showrunners?
     
  2. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2002
    Location:
    UK
    You have to wonder what one earth is going on behind the scenes. Is it a political thing between the producers and the studio execs, or are they just not paying the top people enough to keep them around?
     
  3. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2001
    Location:
    Derry, Maine
    What the heck is going on? :wtf:

    I thought Mazzara was doing a great job on season 3 as showrunner and would be sticking around for the rest of the series.
     
  4. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2003
    Paging Fred Freiberger.
     
  5. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2001
    Location:
    Mr. Adventure
    It is odd, you would think since AMC has had a lot of success that they'd want to do what it'd take to hold on to these guys. I suppose maybe they're a bit full of themselves and not giving enough credit to their talent.
     
  6. AvBaur

    AvBaur Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2006
    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Yeah, it's really strange. They have the highest-rated scripted show on tv and yet they can't stop tinkering with it. Don't they think that the creators of their most successful and popular show ever might actually know what they're doing?
     
  7. Enterprise is Great

    Enterprise is Great Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2004
    Location:
    The Island
    Kurt Sutter, the creator of FX's Sons of Anarchy totally blasted AMC over this. Check out his rant here. Shawn ryan also criticized AMC over this but not as colorfully as Sutter did (see the same link as above).
     
  8. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2007
    Location:
    Space Massachusetts

    It's the highest rated TV show in the history of cable, you would think they would bend over to continue getting those ratings.
     
  9. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2001
    Location:
    Derry, Maine
    My worry is that the new showrunner will suck and just drive the show into the ground. That's always a risk when you bring in a new showrunner.
     
  10. Dorian Thompson

    Dorian Thompson Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2003
    Location:
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    Perhaps the big honchos at AMC follow the Republican model of business--paying as little as they can get away with for labor. Glen Mazzara must not know whose ass to kiss. Some big ass exec's knickers are in a twist because Mazzara probably asked for a raise and didn't properly kiss posterior.
     
  11. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2001
    Location:
    Derry, Maine
    So will the showrunner be replaced every season?

    The morale of the cast is going to take a hit after all this is over with especially since it already happened with Frank Darabont.
     
  12. Roshi

    Roshi Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2004
    Location:
    Roshi
    Whuuuuuuut? The Walking Dead is AMC's flagship drama?
    And I thought it was Mad Men!

    ;)
     
  13. trekkiebaggio

    trekkiebaggio Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2004
    Location:
    Dancing to the Jailhouse Rock
    Glad it's returning but I hope changing the showrunner doesn't mean it'll drop in quality .
     
  14. AvBaur

    AvBaur Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2006
    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Mad Men gets the awards, Walking Dead gets the ratings.

    I love 'em both. :)
     
  15. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2001
    Location:
    Mr. Adventure
    Maybe they can bring Darabont back, and then when they piss him off again they can bring back Glen Mazzara.
     
  16. Dorian Thompson

    Dorian Thompson Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2003
    Location:
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    I want to know who Mazzara pissed off. This has "he doesn't kiss enough ass" written all over it. It's a nonsensical, counterproductive decisions. Someone in a suit thinks the showrunner doesn't matter and, per usual, they're wrong.
     
  17. throwback

    throwback Captain Captain

    Joined:
    May 27, 2011
    I am not in a tizzy about this. I will form after an opinion after I have seen the fourth season.
     
  18. Shurik

    Shurik Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2003
    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    Apparently, this is how AMC works. They had almost lost Mad Men after the 4th season, had almost lost Breaking Bad, slashed the budget of The Walking Dead before the second season and caused Frank Darabont to quit, despite the great ratings. They don't seem to understand the principle of "if it works, don't fuck with it".

    It won't be long before no sane person will pitch his show ideas to AMC.
     
  19. Kegg

    Kegg Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2009
    Location:
    Ireland.
    I hear they've also renewed their remake of the Killing for a third season. Has anyone actually enjoed that series?

    And Breaking Bad rules the internets.

    The worst thing is is that season 3 has easily been the best stretch of the series. One can't hold Glen Mazzara completely to blame for how slow the second season was - Walking Dead's budget was slashed (after it was clear it was a monster hit for AMC) and the AMC wanted the whole thing filmed indoors, preferably on a single set. That the season had iffy character work can be more fairly laid at Mazzara's feet, but given a decent budget he's made season 3 a rollercoaster ride of Stuff Happening, with a real sense of momentum and arcing.

    It's not been perfect - the often weak character writing that bedevilled season two rears its head more than once - but Walking Dead's first half of its third season was one of my most entertaining TV shows of 2012.

    It's entirely possible the show can keep steamrolling along without him - it has Kirkman's comic to draw on, and Mazzara himself was a replacement (and frankly an improvement) over Frank Darabont - but I'd prefer this kind of thing to stop happening.

    Breaking Bad ends next year. Mad Men has what, two seasons left? Pretty soon AMC will be relying on Walking Dead, and although that show brings the ratings like crazy it doesn't quite bring the prestige.
     
  20. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2001
    Location:
    Derry, Maine