The Walking Dead Comes to AMC

[Scott Tortorice]

Been a rumor for a while, but now its official:

[video=youtube;_KKpGaMVdq4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KKpGaMVdq4[/video]

You can read the first few chapters from the graphic novel here.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

First trailer:

[video=youtube;YDnwCik3wAc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDnwCik3wAc[/video]

Guess I'll be picking up L4D2 around the same time.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

Did anybody watch this last night? It was pretty good! It was a bit slow, but that is to be expected when setting up such an unusual narrative. I particularly liked how they tried to, er, 'humanize' the zombies by reminding you that they were once people, too.

There seems to be more than enough material here to last a whole season, so I can't wait to see this story unfold over the next few weeks.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

Update from the Hollywood Reporter:

'Walking Dead' a Monster Smash

AMC's The Walking Dead premiere ratings are enormous: The 90-minute Halloween night debut delivered 5.3 million viewers and a 3.3 adults 18-49 rating.

That's the largest demo audience for any series premiere on any cable network this year.

It's also the highest numbers for any series in AMC's history, and beat most non-sports programs on broadcast Sunday night.

The critically acclaimed zombie drama was by no means a sure-fire ratings victory. Industry insiders wondered whether female viewers would be drawn to the gory and apocalyptic subject matter. But mounting buzz on the show ever since its trailed debuted at Comic-Con made Walking Dead a must-see among genre fans.

“It’s a good day to be dead. We are so proud of this series, its depth of storytelling and the remarkable talent attached,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s president. “As the network dedicated to bringing viewers the best stories on television, we are so pleased to have the opportunity with The Walking Dead to raise the bar within this popular genre and continue our commitment to being the home of premium television on basic cable.”

 

[MrP]

I watched the first episode tonight and thought it was excellent, scary stuff and a great ending. The only thing that bugged was who played Rick, he looked soooo familiar and I couldn't place him. Thanks be to imdb for reminding me that he was Egg in This Life - doesn't Hollywood have any actors left for these kind of things?

 

[FanaticTW]

really nice stuff. many scenes right out of the graphic novel. especially the Atlanta scenes

 

[Dr Zaius]

Damn it. I forgot that it was on and missed it. Hopefully I'll be able to catch it again during the week.

 

[ChrisM]

it was really well done - very true to the graphic novel, but with a few little tweaks to surprise you. Darabont is a great direcotr - adn the bit with teh survivor's wife was creepy and effective - adn establishes a character trait that will pay off much, much laetr if they get that afr.

Six episodes in the can - i wonder if they will get to the Governor?

 

[Dave68124]

Damn it. I forgot that it was on and missed it. Hopefully I'll be able to catch it again during the week.

Three letters - DVR.

 

[Dr Zaius]

I watched it last night with On Demand and liked it. The zombie scenes were pretty graphic for a TV series, especially the part with the horse. :bite:

My only complaint is that the characters acted a bit like teenagers in a slasher film. Considering what they had just been through, they were way too lackadaisical about security and went out of their way to broadcast their position and invite attack. Incredibly stupid at times.

 

[Pdqport]

My only complaint is that the characters acted a bit like teenagers in a slasher film. Considering what they had just been through, they were way too lackadaisical about security and went out of their way to broadcast their position and invite attack. Incredibly stupid at times.

I haven't seen this show yet, but it always drives me nuts in any story when the protagonists are just plain dumb. To me it is the result of weak story writing, when the plot relies on the stupidity of its characters to advance the story. All too many times characters run off by themselves or do they one thing they were absolutely told not to do, "Don't leave this room"..."Don't take off the crucifix"..."Don't leave the light"...etc.

I remember the first time I watched Aliens and was impressed by the fact that they rather intellligently fortified their position, but then found themselves outwitted by the aliens who came in above and below them. That whole scene with the motion detectors was terrific, "9 meters, 7, 6.... That can't be, that's inside the room." They weren't dumb, they just made a critical oversight. That seemed real to me.

 

[Dr Zaius]

True. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it is wise move away from cities during a zombie apocalypse. The fact that the city is littered with the remnants of destroyed military equipment should be an obvious sign that raw firepower alone won't cut it. There are simply too many of them to stand and fight. And every one of your own losses swells the ranks of the undead, further tipping the balance against the living.

Better to move toward a less populated area where the odds are more favorable.

 

[Dr Zaius]

I tell you what, these people certainly had some bad luck getting hooked up with the idiots in their group. This group has so many issues, pressures, and feuds going on between the members, the zombies are the least of their problems! They're going to end up killing each other.

 

[ChrisM]

Which is interesting - because the TV show has added a bunch of characters from what was present in teh original books. Dixon and his brother are wholly new, Carol and Ed seem to be re-written (he wasn't a wife beater) and there are a couple of other brand new folks.

On the one hand - this is pretty cool since it means they may be going in new places from the books, on the other - it may be tough for viewers to identify with this many characters and it may lessesn the impact of the inevitable deaths.

 

[KingNothing12]

Show's pretty interesting so far, haven't actually been interested in a TV Series in a while, and The Walking Dead has been pretty enthralling.

Also, as a question for those who have actually read the graphic novel, how long is the graphic novel itself? There's only 2 more episodes left this season, how far would that be into the graphic novel?

 

[ChrisM]

I wasn't crazy about teh season finale and the whole thing with the CDC - not becuase it wasn;'t in the graphic novels - but becuase ti was very cliche and didn't fit the feel of the series. i have high hopes for Season 2 - and despite the additions and new characters, it looks like things are playing out along the main plot line form teh source amterial pretty much as it did.

I idid see that Darabont fired most fo the writing staff though.

 

[Dr Zaius]

I idid see that Darabont fired most fo the writing staff though.

Where did you hear that?

 

[ChrisM]

Where did you hear that?

Don - I actually learned about it in conversation wiht some fellow gamers last Saturday - then reading the reviews of the finale this week, it came up quite a bit.

Here's a valid link:

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/12/01/the-walking-dead-writers-dvd/

 

[MrP]

Well I thought it was excellent.

Just bizarre that it was Egg from This Life who played the male lead

 

['Ol Fezziwig]

I wasn't crazy about teh season finale and the whole thing with the CDC - not becuase it wasn;'t in the graphic novels - but becuase ti was very cliche and didn't fit the feel of the series. i have high hopes for Season 2 - and despite the additions and new characters, it looks like things are playing out along the main plot line form teh source amterial pretty much as it did.

The whole CDC thing was likely the 'perfect endpoint' if the series wasn't received as well as it ultimately was. For what it's worth, my 15 year old daughter is enthralled with this series...