Talking Dead loses executive producer, staffers before Chris Hardwick return

Going into tonight’s return of Talking Dead to the air, there are some clear changes happening behind the scenes.

According to a new report from The Wrap, an executive producer on the AMC series, in addition to a “handful” of show staffers (approximately 25 work on the series on average), opted to leave following the decision by the network to rehire Hardwick after an investigation into sexual misconduct and assault accusations. Hardwick reportedly met with many crew members earlier this week for a meeting and offered an apology over recent circumstances. He also promised one-on-one meetings with anyone who requested them.

Will any of this be addressed on the series tonight? We personally doubt it, mostly because AMC wants this show to exist in a capsule and be independent of some of what happens around it. Because Talking Dead is not always live for Fear the Walking Dead (this is not a new phenomenon), the network may choose to edit together the episodes however they see fit. However, the talk show will likely be live following the finale and we do imagine that we could see a little more of an unpredictable environment then.

No matter whatever opinions any of us have about the investigation or AMC’s decision to re-hire Hardwick, the ratings will ultimately tell most of the story. Prior to the investigation earlier this year, Talking Dead episodes following Fear the Walking Dead were generating a little bit more than 500,000 live viewers a week. We’ll see if that pattern changes now as we move further into the summer, or into The Walking Dead season 8 when it airs this fall. We are also interested in seeing whether or not the reports and headlines change the guests who want to appear on the series, as well.

Related – Check out a sneak peek for Sunday’s new Fear the Walking Dead episode

Are you still planning to watch Fear the Walking Dead tonight after some of the headlines? Share now in the comments.

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