It Looks Like The Walking Dead Has Found A New Showrunner

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

When AMC’s The Walking Dead fired Glen Mazzara back in December, that was the second time in 18 months that the show had parted ways with a showrunner. As you can imagine, it’s rather difficult to make a television program without one of these folks, and in that spirit the network has announced that supervising producer Scott Gimple is in position take over the reigns left dangling by Mazzara’s departure.

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Gimple joined Team Walking Dead in the second season, and has written five episodes so far, including “Pretty Much Dead Already,” the mid-season finale from season two. Overall that season had some issues, but when Shane popped open the barn on Hershel’s farm, we were treated to one of the most iconic moments of the series so far. Gimple has also scripted two installments from season three, including one set to air in March.

Gimple will most likely assume the position when the fourth season of The Walking Dead shuffles its way into production. He has previously worked on shows like the short-lived FlashForward and Life, and also wrote the script for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Mazzara has garnered much of the credit for this season of the zombie drama picking up the pace considerably. Seriously, things are happening now, whereas with the previous seasons you felt like you spent most of each episode waiting around for something, anything to occur. Hopefully Gimple will be able to continue that momentum and ride that wave for some time to come.

While the network has painted the split as amicable, many have wondered why the network keeps interfering in one of the most highly rated shows on television. Still others, such as Sons of Anarchy showrunner Kurt Sutter, have straight-up called AMC out for taking control away from producers, and bending to the whims and demands of comic book creator Robert Kirkman.

Season three of The Walking Dead returns to AMC on Sunday, February 10.