‘The Walking Dead’ season 4: Exec talks extreme fan devotion

Even though there may not be much (or any) new television airing this weekend, there does seem to be quite a bit going on when it comes to the conference circuit. For example, the Produced By Conference has been successful at gathering some of the best minds in the producing world together, where they all explain a little bit of the craft, hard work, and delicate balance that goes into making a series.

If there is one show that really understands all of this more than anyone, it is the people who work behind the scenes at “The Walking Dead.” Do you remember that this show was originally sold to NBC back in 2005, but was not picked up? This just goes to show just how much time can go into finding a network that wants you. (Also, it shows how silly NBC really is.)

Even though there have been a number of showrunner shifts on the series since arriving on AMC, the executives at the conference today all emphasized that they have a good relationship with the network. As for the fans? That’s a bit more up for debate. Just check out what one executive producer in Gale Ann Hurd had to say if you want some evidence of that:

“The fans so identify with the characters, it really is the stages of grief. First they’re in denial — ‘That gunshot was off-screen, you didn’t really kill her, right?’ to getting angry, which is when they get angry they threaten to hunt you down and kill you.”

Okay, so the last part is a little bit scary, but Hurd (and other executive producers out there) seem to be able to let all of this roll of their backs pretty easily. Fans are emotionally attached to their characters, but somewhere along the line, shouldn’t some people impose a ten-minute hold on themselves before taking to their Twitter accounts and tweeting out acts of revenge?

If you want to see some more of what the show’s executive producers are saying about the upcoming season, we have that resource for you, as well, over at the link here.

Photo: AMC