New THE WALKING DEAD Showrunner Is Looking To Recapture The Vibe Of The Show's Previous Seasons
When season 8 of The Walking Dead comes to an end in April, Scott Gimple will be stepping down as showrunner to be replaced by Angela Kang, who is looking to past seasons for inspiration for season 9...
Over the past few seasons, The Walking Dead has not only experienced a less favorable reception from fans but has felt a decline in viewership. In fact, viewership for Season 8 has dropped to numbers close to those of Season 2, a massive shift from the huge ratings the show earned in its fourth and fifth seasons.
Now, with Angela Kang taking over as showrunner from Scott Gimple, it seems fans can expect The Walking Dead to return to some of its earlier roots - at least that’s what executive producer Greg Nicotero suggests in his interview with Fandom.
“Angela has a very clear vision for the show and she has a great voice; she’s got a unique voice,” Nicotero explained before revealing which seasons Kang will be looking at specifically for influence.
“Especially looking back at where our show succeeds the most — in terms of the characters that have the best chemistry together and the locations that [worked well]. It’s always kind of nice to be on the road a little bit. Any time we’re sort of situated in one place for too long… I feel like the show is kind of morphing back into a Season 4, Season 5 kind of vibe.”
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the producers and showrunner will look to seasons four and five as they brought in the largest number of viewers for the show. As someone who has been a writer for the series since Season 2, Kang should be familiar with what made it such a hit in the past.