AMC Brass Believes The Walking Dead Can Stay On Air “For Decades”

Lowly ratings be damned, The Walking Dead has what it takes to remain on the air “for decades.”

At least, that’s according to AMC CEO Josh Sapan, who spoke to Wall Street analysts in light of the network’s relatively strong third-quarter results.

When asked about The Walking Dead‘s future, in particular, Sapan was brash in his predictions, claiming that the zombie phenomenon could enter TV’s pantheon as one of the longest-running shows ever made. And though he doesn’t name-drop any inspirations, if the AMC juggernaut is able to stay relevant for the next 10-to-20 years, The Walking Dead will find itself in the company of The Simpsons, NCIS and other TV greats that have been motoring on for decades.

The use of the word ‘franchise,’ we don’t take lightly. It’s not a sloppy or casual word. We’ve studied the best. Some have been around 30, 40, 50 years. We have a chance for a lot of life in the franchise.

You can’t say that there’s not enough material at AMC’s disposal, either. In fact, The Walking Dead franchise has already spawned its own spinoff series in the form of Fear The Walking Dead, which recently concluded its third season to mixed reviews.

Josh Sapan also hinted at the ways in which AMC plans to future-proof its crown jewel, which goes some way to explaining the planned 2018 crossover between The Walking Dead and its aforementioned sister series. Abraham Ford has already been tipped as a potential candidate to crop up in the network’s prequel, though it seems fans still haven’t figured out the finer details.

The Walking Dead season 8 continues with the premiere of “Monsters” on Sunday, November 5th. And yes, AMC’s flagship will explore Negan’s dark backstory in the not-so-distant future, while there have also been rumblings that Carl Grimes is about to meet his maker. Say it ain’t so, AMC!