No, we don’t know who came up with the name, but AMC has announced that, much as sporting events and political debates are often followed by a “highlights” show, The Walking Dead will be followed by Talking Dead, a wrap show to be hosted by Chris Hardwick.
Here’s the info, from the AMC The Walking Dead Blog:
AMC announced today Talking Dead, the network’s first live after-show that serves as a platform for discussion for AMC‘s series, The Walking Dead. The half-hour episodes are produced by Michael Davies’ Embassy Row and are hosted by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist, The Ministry of Laughs). Talking Dead” premieres immediately following the encore presentation of The Walking Dead on Sun., Oct. 16. Then beginning on Fri., Nov. 4 the series follows The Walking Dead‘s encore presentation at 11 PM | 10C.
Talking Dead features Hardwick spending time with fans, actors, producers and tv enthusiasts, recapping that most recent Dead episode, and taking questions and comments from viewers. Fans may continue to engage with the after-show following the on-air conclusion, online, at amctv.com for more conversations, questions and trivia.
“As an ENORMOUS fan of both The Walking Dead comic and television show, I pretty much begged for this job. I’m fairly certain I slobbered on the phone while doing it. Dissecting the moves of Rick Grimes and the remaining survivors after every episode is something I would be doing with my friends anyway, so the fact that AMC is actually paying to do so is a bonus,” said Hardwick. “This half-hour after-show gives fans the opportunity to nerd out about the story in a very public forum: what they like, what they don’t like, or what questions they may have. Additionally, it will better inform viewers on making intelligent decisions when faced with the zombie apocalypse, which will probably happen sooner or later.”
“Fans of The Walking Dead are incredibly engaged with every aspect of the show. They tweet, blog, and post comments in very large numbers, and we wanted to give them an opportunity to interact with the show in a way that they don’t currently have — a kind of live water cooler,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC‘s SVP of original programming, production and digital content. “And, we knew we needed a great host, and are thrilled to have Chris Hardwick on board. He is genuinely knowledgeable about the genre, and truly entertaining.”
Make sure to note that Talking Dead will be on after the ENCORE (repeat/late) airing of the new episode of The Walking Dead every week.
In The Walking Dead casting news, Michael Zegen of Rescue Me and Adventureland fame has signed on for the recurring role of Randall, described in EW as a not-in-the-comic-series skinny southern kid. As fans of the comic series know, certain, um, changes have been made in adapting the comic to tv. This means that we’re limited to the info released by the show, and they’re not saying, so sorry, we don’t have any more info than that.
Finally for today, we have another new trailer. It includes some familiar scenes but some new bits as well. First posted as an exclusive from AOL. Looks like we’ll be delving into the realm of group dynamics once more. Enjoy!
The Walking Dead, starring Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jon Bernthal, and Laurie Holden, premieres Sunday, October 16 at 9/8c on AMC.
