Based on the ratings "The Walking Dead" has been getting, it's apparent that the show has branched out beyond genre fans for its audience base.
Hurd: That is the feedback. It started with the people who were already aware of the comic book and fans of the comic book and people who are zombie fans. But I think with the ratings we got, you have to break out beyond genre followers.
My sense is that people [became curious when friends said] "I'm not going out on Sunday night, I have to be home to watch "The Walking Dead."
We've got a pressure cooker because every decision you make is a life-or-death decision. When you've got that ramping up the stakes, if you connect with the characters, you really have gripping television. If we get it right, we've got those built-in stakes but at the same time we have fun with the fact that we are in a world that is populated not just by zombies but by other humans as well.
Some people watch the show to see the unique and graphic ways that we dispatch the zombies and other people look away from that when it happens. We're delighted to have both kinds of viewers.
As the second season progresses, what can viewers expect?
Hurd: Obviously, the tensions are continuing to rise with the love triangle between Lori and Rick and Shane.
You also have tension with people who didn't want to survive the CDC like Andrea. Is she going to embrace living now or is she going to look for another way to die? We also introduce new characters, like Herschel's farm. We not only have the new characters but the dynamics that those characters bring to our group.
Source: Full interview @ CNN
The Walking Dead - Season 2 - Interview with Gale Anne Hurd
16 Nov 2011
The Walking Dead
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ReplyDeleteWell, I'm proof that she's right about the audiences having stretched beyond the expected zombie fans:
ReplyDelete1. I didn't know the comics existed (here in Portugal never heard about it not until the tv show began);
2. I am not a zombie fan - the only zombie movie I saw was Resident Evil but found it not very interesting (too much action for zero character development and a basic story line).
3. I'm not even a terror/horror fan althought back in the 1980s I loved John Carpenter's movies :)
Plus, my brother-in-law and my own wife now love to see the show, and I can assure you that they both are not the kind of people into violence/terror.
I started to watch TWD right since episode one. Why? Because the promo for the show was a shock: I didn't know what they where promoting (I rarely watch tv and was just passing through the living room), when I see a cop shooting a little girl in the head, all very explicit! I remember telling to my wife (whom was at this time in shock with what she had just seen...): "Wow! If these guys had the nerve to pull such a scene and show it on tv, I wanna know what it is all about!"
I'm even considering to start buying the comics but I fear that could ruin my tv experience or both.
You need to watch Romero's zombie movies. Although not his most recent ones such as Diary of the Dead or Island of the Dead. They were pathetic. I would also recommend the remake of Dawn of the Dead (released in 2004 I think?). Generally Romero has made low budget movies, allowing new actors to the scene to help promote themselves and further their careers.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, worth a watch anyway! =)
Yes, I know George Romero is considered the father of the genre, but never saw his work. I am, however, expectant to the release of a german web series called "Viva Berlin" - it seems very realistic, very convincing.
ReplyDeleteNo one is going to google +1 because your not supposed to be even using google +1, it's a pathetic attempt on google's part to get in on the social networking scheme. as for the show, it has become boring and dead, so they certainly DID NOT get it right. ignore this at your own peril... the internet agrees with me, I've done my research
ReplyDelete