This year AMC, most famous for their Emmy award winning show Mad Men, is set to release it’s own take on the ever popular theme of zombies. Prior to their Halloween premiere, post-apocalyptic zombie themed television shows have flamed up and burnt out faster than a candle in the wind. Shows like the UK’s ALIVE and non affiliated Lifeless have small followings at best. But with the backing of AMC and Director Frank Darabont, The Walking Dead, is sure to walk right to the top of everyone’s list of favorites. Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, has worked closely with writer Robert Kirkman, the creator of the comic book series The Walking Dead. Originally, the comic book was released in 2003 by Image Comics.
Until the Halloween release of The Walking Dead the most similar show on television is Dead Set centered entirely on a post zombie apocalypse. But despite a similar setting, Dead Set is remarkably different from The Walking Dead. The BBC Network’s Dead Set entailed the fictional trials of Big Brother characters trapped inside the Big Brother house while zombies flourish and feast outside. This show was meant to appeal to a younger demographic; if it were shown in the United States it would more than likely premiere on MTV or VH1. While this tends to be the demographic that zombies appeal to, The Walking Dead seems to be attempting to appeal to a completely different demographic.
With it’s home on the AMC Network The Walking Dead seems to have set its sights on an older demographic, one that you might find watching Mad Men. The production value alone seems to lend itself to a more mature age group, an age group that tends to be more loyal with its television habits.
In the past zombie shows have been aimed at a younger crowd. Whether or not The Walking Dead’s choice of targeted demographic will pay off will soon be determined.
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