Wowed by the success of its Real housewives talk show spin-off, AMC is now exploring the possibility of doing a talk show spin-off based on “The Walking Dead.” It’s already commissioned and shot a pilot with MTV’s Chris Hardwick, who recently hosted a series of Doctor Who specials for BBC America, to host.
According to Vulture:
This would indicate that AMC is considering a launch of the as-yet untitled project in conjunction with this October’s return of Dead, though we haven’t been able to confirm that (and it’s likely that it would be designed to air after other AMC shows, not just Dead). What’s more, because this was just a pilot, it’s possible there could be format tweaks or that Hardwick might not be a part of the project should it go to series. If AMC decides to move forward with the show in time for Dead, it would likely do so within the next few weeks.
A talk show makes sense for AMC’s current and widely reported budget woes, as it’d have little to no production value but still able to inexpensively bring additional hours of new programing tied to the show.
The only question remains, would people actually watch it? The geek in me says yes, considering Internet forums and blogs have been buzzing with lively discussions of the show. Heck, I’ll probably tune in for the pilot just to see what the fuss is about, and then go on internet forums to talk about it…