When The Walking Dead made its return to AMC in the US and FOX in the UK for its seventh season in mid-2016, the opening premiere episode really divided viewers. Some praised it for sticking so closely to the scenes that took place in the comic book the show is adapted from, whilst others think the on screen violence went too far, so much so that when the show aired in the UK, censored scenes were shown instead of the originals.
Credit: AMC
Following the backlash, Variety is now reporting that those behind the series made an effort to reduce violence in the episodes that followed 7.1. They say executive producer Gale Anne Hurd commented on the complaints and their response at the National Association of Television Program Executives conference, saying: “We were able to look at the feedback on the level of violence. We did tone it down for episodes we were still filming for later on in the season. This is not a show that is torture porn, we don’t cross that line.”
Despite Hurd’s comments about never crossing the line of ‘torture porn’, that was the exact phrase used by many who did complain about the show during its last run of eight episodes. It’s going to be very interesting to see just where the series goes upon its return in February.
Of course, if things are stripped back too much, purists and those loyal to the comic book series are going to be the ones disappointed. Those behind The Walking Dead are going to have to find a healthy medium in a bid to please everybody. One thing’s for sure though – after losing millions of viewers in the US alone during season 7, something has to be done to bring the fans back to the series.
The Walkng Dead returns to AMC in the US on Sunday, February 12 and to the UK on FOX the day after on Monday, February 13.
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