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Before AMC picked up The Walking Dead, it was pitched to a handful of other networks — including HBO — but it would’ve been a completely different show. When Robert Kirkman’s Walking Dead comics came to the attention of Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd, they promptly recognized the potential for a TV adaptation and went around town to pitch it.
The Walking Dead has become a lucrative franchise for AMC, running for a whopping 11 seasons and spawning an eye-watering six spinoff shows. But it almost ended up on a different network. If the producers could’ve negotiated what the tone would be, The Walking Dead might’ve been an HBO show airing alongside True Detective and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Why HBO Passed On The Walking Dead
According to The Huffington Post, before The Walking Dead was pitched to AMC, both HBO and NBC were interested in the series. But they didn’t want the exact show that Darabont and Hurd were pitching; they had one condition for picking it up. These networks both wanted to tone down the gore and violence of the source material.
Hurd wasn’t willing to compromise on Kirkman’s vision. She was committed to translating the brutality of the comics to the screen.
But Hurd wasn’t willing to compromise on Kirkman’s vision. She was committed to translating the brutality of the comics to the screen, and didn’t want to sanitize it. When this note came up, Hurd simply said, “No, thank you,” and started shopping the project around other networks. The show they wanted to make clearly wasn’t a good fit for these networks.
Eventually, AMC — the home of two of the greatest TV shows on the air at the time, Breaking Bad and Mad Men — not only agreed to make the show, but agreed to make it as gruesome and bloody as Kirkman’s heart desired. Darabont was appointed as the initial showrunner and the series was picked up for one of the most cinematic pilot episodes ever produced.
It seems unusual that HBO would want to tone down the violence. It’s a bit more understandable with NBC, since they’re a regular broadcast network and therefore beholden to the iron claw of Standards and Practices. But as a premium cable network, HBO has no such restrictions, and they’re renowned for gritty, violent shows like The Sopranos and The Wire.
Of course, the violence in The Walking Dead isn’t the same as The Sopranos or The Wire. Horror violence is its own beast — no one gets eviscerated by the undead in The Sopranos. HBO had other horror shows, like Tales from the Crypt and True Blood, but they weren’t as focused on blood and guts as The Walking Dead.
A Less Violent Walking Dead Would’ve Been A Completely Different Show
If Hurd had caved to HBO’s demands and toned down the violence of The Walking Dead, it would’ve been a totally different show. In just the second episode of The Walking Dead, Rick and Glenn cover themselves in the visceral entrails of the undead to disguise their scent amongst a horde of walkers — HBO probably would’ve vetoed that scene.
HBO’s mandate would’ve put more of an emphasis on the characters and their interpersonal drama. But what made The Walking Dead so successful was its balance of interpersonal drama and shocking gore. Its unique selling point was that it was a zombie-infested soap opera. Without the gore, it would just be a soap opera.
HBO Would End Up Having An Even Darker Show Less Than A Year After TWD
Within one year of The Walking Dead premiering on AMC, HBO would have an even darker, bloodier, and more horrifying show on its airwaves. In 2011, Game of Thrones debuted on HBO. By the end of the first season, the lead character would be publicly beheaded — and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
|
Premiere Date |
|
|---|---|
|
The Walking Dead |
October 31, 2010 |
|
Game of Thrones |
April 17, 2011 |
Shireen was burned at the stake, Pedro Pascal had his eyes gouged out, a pregnant woman got stabbed in the womb, and a 10-year-old girl got crushed to death by a giant. Even in its most disturbing moments, The Walking Dead didn’t hold a candle to Game of Thrones’ violence.
What An HBO Version Of The Walking Dead Would Look Like Today
If The Walking Dead was made by HBO today, it would probably be a more straightforward adaptation of the comics. Based on the current TV landscape, it would likely have shorter seasons — and fewer seasons — a bit like Game of Thrones. But there would be two or three years between seasons, and probably delayed gratification on the biggest payoffs.
In shows like House of the Dragon, HBO keeps putting off the payoffs. HBO’s The Walking Dead would probably promise the arrival of Negan at the end of one season, and still have no Negan by the end of the next season. It would’ve placed more emphasis on character development, and much less on the horror and gore.
If HBO Picked Up The Walking Dead, It Might’ve Passed On Its Own Hit Zombie Show
If HBO had picked up The Walking Dead in 2010, and it had been as big of a hit as it was on AMC, then the network might’ve passed on its own hit zombie show more than a decade later. In 2023, HBO debuted The Last of Us, based on the Naughty Dog video game franchise.
It takes place in a similar zombie-infested world to The Walking Dead, it uses the same trope of territorial communities, and it carries the same message that human survivors are the real monsters. If HBO had The Walking Dead, it probably would’ve turned down The Last of Us.
Source: The Huffington Post
