I wonder how this will turn out on normal cable compared to a premium channel like HBO/Showtime (… and Starz now with Spartacus)? The comic is pretty gruesome a few chapters in, starting around when they get to the prison. The violence is over the top later in the series and probably isn’t necessary for the story, but it does help fit the gritty BW style of the comic. I haven’t seen Breaking Bad, so it’s possible that a high level of violence is normal for AMC.
Once you watch Breaking Bad, you’ll see that it should be no problem.
Breaking Bad is certainly dark, and the first season suggested a fair bit of gore, but it’s not particularly explicit. I can’t imagine AMC going full-bore zombie gore the way that, say, the BBC did with Dead Set.
-Tomfirst season: melted…stuff…going through a bathtub and the floor below. bonus: cleanup using baking soda.
Don’t forget severed head taped to a turtle with explosives on it.
I’m curious about Breaking Bad now (not just because of a the quote above!), just added the first 2 seasons to my Netflix queue.
Yeah, you guys should see more zombie movies if you think that somehow changes my point. Namely, that what AMC does in Breaking Bad is nowhere near what the comic does, which is what most typical R-rated zombie movies do. In fact, aren’t the Walking Dead zombies the variant that actually eat people? That’s a pretty far cry from a cute gag with a severed head and a tub of indeterminate goo.
-TomI don’t know if you’ve actually watched Breaking Bad or not, Tom, but the scene I was referring to was pretty harrowing, actually, and was a major change in character for one of the main characters on the series.
I’ve watched plenty of Zombie movies, and I would say that AMC is likely to be able to handle the gore factor just fine. AMC and FX have shown that they can have balls when it comes to cable content.
It’ll probably be more terrifying by being less explicit.
I’ve seen enough tearing latex to last me a lifetime.
The latest episode of Supernatural had full-on zombie gore (not Living Dead levels, but close) including a zombie kid eating his father, tons of zombie heads exploding from shotgun blasts, and buckets of blood covering the walls and floors afterwards. And this is network television. I don’t think AMC is going to have any problems here.
Plus they could always do it in black and white…
If anything, AMC will have a harder time with language than with gore. Zombies, by virtue of not being human, are pretty safe territory for a show on basic cable. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of gore not involving naked boobies that they won’t be able to put in if they want. I can’t remember, however, whether or not AMC is one of the channels that cowers in fear of the word “shit.”
No, language isn’t an issue with them. They push content about as far as FX and anyone else who isn’t subscription based.
Yes, I watch Breaking Bad. Believe it or not, I didn’t just jump in to post about something I knew nothing about. The turtle was a gag, very much in keeping with the show’s black humor. Walt’s brother’s emotional journey isn’t really something the series is that concerned with, so I’m not sure why you’re reading so much importance into it.
I’ve watched plenty of Zombie movies, and I would say that AMC is likely to be able to handle the gore factor just fine. AMC and FX have shown that they can have balls when it comes to cable content.
I can’t speak to FX since I haven’t seen any of its shows. But I stand by my point that Breaking Bad isn’t evidence that the network can do full-on zombie gore. By the way, did it occur to you that although we keep hearing about the body parts from the airline incident, we never saw any of them?
Although that description of the Supernatural zombie episode sounds pretty incredible. Really? They did all that on, what, Fox? Wow.
Also, I don’t recall hearing the S-bomb dropped on Breaking Bad, but that could be because I’m just not hearing it. I’m very aware of when they roll it out in Men of a Certain Age, because it sounds like they’re only allowed a certain number of S-bombs per episode and I know there are times an F-bomb would be a perfect fit, but you never hear it.
Ah, the intricacies of what you can and can’t do on TV! It’ll be interesting to see where AMC takes Walking Dead. In the meantime, see the BBC’s Dead Set for an example of why British TV is so awesome.
-Tom
It’s not a BBC show. I’m not sure it could be a BBC show for a couple of reasons. Reason one is that Channel Four owns the rights to Big Brother so the setting wouldn’t work. The second is that…
Nope, I’ve just got the one. Sorry. I wanted to say something about tone but BBC Three/Four are perfect fits for the bits I’ve seen and it’s not like the BBC shy away from bloody violence in the late-night slots.
It’s an e4 production. Possibly a Zeppotron (Brooker’s company) production for e4 (e4 is a Channel 4 subsidiary channel).
On that note, Idris Elba has a new series coming out soon called Luther, where he plays a genius detective with issues. Luther is a BBC show. I AM EXCITED.
Ah, right you are, Kirian. I just assume everything from Britain that isn’t a Merchant/Ivory production is a BBC show. But I see that E4 is a pay-channel. Pay channels in Britain??!??! So much for your socialist utopia with a state-run media apparatus.
Thanks for the correction.
-Tome4 is paid for by either buying a Freeview box (one-time fee, bunch of channels) or paying Messrs Branson or Murdoch for their services. As such the pay channels aren’t worth bothering with. Especially as the BBC still kicks everything they do into a cocked hat.* Thankfully the vast majority of Brit TV you see is the good stuff and is therefore BBC stuff so you can continue to assume stuff is either Merchant Ivory or BBC. Unless it’s Planet Earth. I’m still upset that they removed Sir. Attenborough for the US cut. It makes-a the no-sense.
State-funded independent media apparatus+, as they say in the vernacular, for the epic win.
*Also a BBC show, produced by Armando Ianucci and Stewart Lee himself.
+Calling the BBC ‘state-run’ can potentially send their producers into a a fit of apoplexy, which is hilarious. The government have nothing to do with the BBC but do start regular slap-fights with them over really stupid things. Particularly in election years. It’s quite funny.
Walt’s brother-in-law’s emotional journey is a completely relevant part of the series, as it affects how he views the crumbling of Walt’s marriage and how he deals with Walt, as well as an overarching backdrop of exactly what the drug trade is like close to the border. There were references to his PTSD that stemmed from that incident in this week’s episode.
So yeah, you might be viewing it (enough to notice trivial things like Walt Jr using a PSP) but I am really surprised you’re not paying closer attention to it.
I like how you’re the one arguing against the turtle being played for dark humor and a supporting character being just a supporting character, yet I’m the one not paying attention. Pedant much?
Anyway, so long as you understand my main point – Breaking Bad is not on par with full-on zombie gore – I think we’re pretty much done here and we can take it to the Breaking Bad thread. I’ll meet you there after gym class.
-Tom
P.S. Brains!
Not to mention there are more than a few moments in the Walking Dead that I think pushed it further than any zombie flick I’ve ever seen (at least while maintaining a serious tone, I’m sure B-Horror flicks such as Terror at Blood Fart Lake are full of lowest common-denimiator level stuff.)
Readers of the series I’m sure can guess exactly what I’m talking about.