‘Walking Dead’ producers file new $200-million lawsuit against AMC Networks
The Walking Dead stars have responded to a new federal lawsuit against the maker of the flagship series for taking issue with the show as a result of its ratings decline.
The lawsuit, filed by the attorneys for TWD, AMC and other members of the cast alleges that AMC Networks and TWD have intentionally concealed facts regarding the ratings decline that led to the writing and shooting of Season 8 of the zombie apocalypse drama.
Walking Dead: Season 8 will premiere on AMC on August 10, 2017, and will be repeated on Sunday nights on AMC and its new streaming service, AMC and Amazon’s Amazon Prime Instant Video.
In the filing of the lawsuit, TWD attorneys state that there were more than 2,500 episodes of Walking Dead before the show was canceled in 2010, and as many as seven-hundred episodes after the show was canceled because of its ratings decline.
“Although TWD began airing episodes of the TWD series in 2011–2012, TWD had aired its last episode on AMC on July 17, 2010, before TWD was cancelled,” TWD states in the complaint. “Furthermore, during the post-Walking Dead period, TWD had aired a total of approximately 2,500 episodes.”
“In the spring of 2012, TWD produced its fourth season. TWD’s fourth season was originally planned to air on AMC in mid-July 2012, but was postponed until early August 2012,” the complaint says. “During TWD’s season four hiatus, TWD received the following distribution information from AMC: the AMC series Mad Men premiered on Aug. 16, 2011, and the AMC series The Walking Dead premiered on Aug. 4, 2013. The AMC series Sons and Daughters premiered on AMC on Sept. 3, 2014.”
TWD also claims that, in April 2013, AMC Networks gave TWD additional distribution information, including information from “a TWD release dated April 6, 2013, which states: ‘To the best of our knowledge, AMC is expected to air TWD’s next season on August 18, 2013.’”
“That release further indicates AMC’s belief and a plan to air TWD’s upcoming eighth season on AMC the prior week on Aug. 18, 2013, and to hold the final season of TWD’s next season until Aug. 25, 2013,” TWD says in the court filing.