Coming as absolutely no surprise, AMC announced yesterday that its zombie-pocalypse series The Walking Dead will be returning for a ninth season. That show has seen a notable decline in its ratings over the past two years (what I have referred to as the “Walking Dexit”), but it is still the highest rated scripted show on all of television and the renewal announcement has been expected. Along with that news came word that Angela Kang will be taking over showrunner duties from Scott M. Gimple starting with the new season. Gimple has been blamed by fans for taking the show off course and poorly handling the introduction of Negan. Kang has been a writer on the show for several seasons and fans will likely welcome a new person coming aboard with hopes for a course correction in the coming season. Gimple will not be leaving the show, he has been moved to the position of Chief Content Officer for the franchise and will be tasked with “potential brand extensions on a variety of platforms”. The show returns for the second half of its eighth season on February 25th and the ninth season will be slated for a Fall 2018 debut.
The Walking Dead is based on the Robert Kirkman comic book of the same name that follows a group of survivors who must make difficult choices in order to survive in a world overrun by zombies. It stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, and Danai Gurira and airs on Sundays at 9 PM EST.
As the TCAs continue, expect more renewal and cancellation announcements. Be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
