Zabel cares about his original characters. His interpretation of Daryl. And incorporating religious themes that nobody asked for, especially not in a Caryl story. When an interviewer at SDCC suggested that Daryl behaved out of character in S1, Zabel became defensive and started over-explaining his reasoning why he thinks Daryl would be verbally abusive and threatening to a child. Then Nicotero chimed in to back him up, which made them both look completely clueless on what it takes to make a story compelling. They seemed aggravated that most of the interviewers wanted to know about Melissa’s return and Caryl’s reunion. They think the villains, locations, zombies, and camera movements are what this show is all about... what makes it special and worthwhile in TWD canon. ‘Why doesn’t anybody want to hear about my artistic vision?? 😭’ Those interviews should be loud and clear to AMC. People just aren’t as invested in these elements of the show.
Setting is merely setting. Same with genre. You can dress it up however you want, people are still going to be most interested in the character story. And new characters don’t stand a chance against two who have been there since the beginning (when they are written IN CHARACTER, that is). The idea that Zabel’s and Nicotero’s input carries any weight at all on the direction of this story is absurd. HIRE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING PLEASE.
AMC is a shadow of what it used to be. The network was once acclaimed for writing on shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. They were unmatched, ringing in the golden era of TV. Now? They have Zabel.
The promos I’ve seen look cheap and cliche and out of touch. Looks like they can’t afford to offer fans a decent story anymore because they dumped money into the wrong places. I wonder who’s suggestion that was?
PS: majority of shows on TV focus on themes of chosen family. It’s been done to death and they have to appeal to the heart of the fanbase. Continued stories about chosen family and friendship aren’t going to cut it. Take it to the next level. I haven’t seen romantic canon between two characters like Carol and Daryl on TV. That’s what’s going to bring in the viewers.
