'The Walking Dead' won't be dead anytime soon

Posted Sunday, January 14, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

AMC, in a widely expected move, is giving its highest-rated show "The Walking Dead" a ninth season, guaranteeing its survival into 2019.

But Scott Gimple, the show runner since season three, will be replaced by writer/co-exec producer Angela Kang. She has been with the show since 2011 and has written about 20 episodes.

Gimple was elevated tochief content officer to oversee the entire franchise of "Walking Dead" shows, videogames, apps and related content.

"The Walking Dead," shot in metro Atlanta, has suffered major declines in viewership since its peak fifth season but remains a top-ranked show among 18 to 49 year olds. Many shows have lived on for years beyond their peak popularity partially because their peaks were so high e.g. "Modern Family," "E.R.," "Law & Order: SVU," "American Idol" et. al.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that big stars Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus are expected to return for season nine. Chandler Riggs, who played Carl, was bitten and is expected to perish when the second half of "The Walking Dead" season eight begins in February.