Fear the Walking Dead
| Fear the Walking Dead | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on |
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman Tony Moore Charlie Adlard |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Atticus Ross |
| Composer(s) | Paul Haslinger |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Bill Johnson |
| Editor(s) | Todd Desrosiers |
| Location(s) |
Los Angeles, California, United States Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Baja, Mexico |
| Cinematography | Michael McDonough |
| Running time | 43–65 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Release | |
| Original network | AMC |
| Original release | August 23, 2015 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
The Walking Dead Talking Dead |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Fear the Walking Dead is an American horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson[1] that premiered on AMC on August 23, 2015.[2] It is a companion series and prequel to The Walking Dead,[3] which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The first season, consisting of six episodes, aired in 2015. Its second season will comprise 15 episodes and debut on April 10, 2016.[4][5][6]
Set in Los Angeles, California, the series follows a dysfunctional family composed of high school guidance counselor Madison Clark, her English teacher boyfriend Travis Manawa, her daughter Alicia, her drug-addicted son Nick, and Travis' son from a previous marriage, Chris, at the onset of the zombie apocalypse.[7][8] They must either revamp themselves or cling to their deep flaws as they come to terms with the impending collapse of civilization.[9]
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, a high school guidance counselor, Travis' girlfriend, and mother of Alicia and Nick.[7][10]
- Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa, a high school English teacher, Madison's boyfriend, and a divorcé who shares custody of his son, Chris, with his ex-wife, Liza.[7][10]
- Frank Dillane as Nick Clark, Madison's 19-year-old son, a heroin addict who has flunked out of community college.[7][8][10][11]
- Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Madison's overachieving teenage daughter and a model student.[7][10]
- Elizabeth Rodriguez as Liza Ortiz, a no-nonsense nursing student, Travis' ex-wife, and mother of their son, Chris. (season 1)[7][10][12]
- Mercedes Mason as Ofelia Salazar, a hardworking professional with immigrant parents.[7][10]
- Lorenzo James Henrie as Christopher Manawa, Travis and Liza's rebellious teen son who resents his father for their divorce.[7][12]
- Rubén Blades as Daniel Salazar, a barber, Griselda's husband, Ofelia's father, a Salvadorian refugee who protects his family at any cost.[7][13]
- Colman Domingo as Victor Strand, a smart and sophisticated man with a mysterious past. (recurring season 1, starring season 2)[14]
Recurring cast
- Patricia Reyes Spíndola as Griselda Salazar, Ofelia's mother who emigrated from El Salvador with husband Daniel to escape political unrest. (season 1)[7]
- Scott Lawrence as Artie Costa, the principal at the high school where Madison and Travis work.[15]
- Lincoln A. Castellanos as Tobias, a wise-beyond-his-years high school senior.[16]
- Maestro Harrell as Matt, Alicia's boyfriend.[17]
- Shawn Hatosy as Cpl. Andrew Adams, a well-intentioned military man with a soulful disposition, who is out of his element.[18]
- Sandrine Holt as Dr. Bethany Exner, a confident and skilled doctor.[19]
- Daniel Zovatto (season 2)[20]
- Arturo Del Puerto as Carlos, a man who is guarded but possesses a spiritual understanding of the world. (season 2)[21]
- Dougray Scott (season 2)[22]
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 6 | August 23, 2015 | October 4, 2015 | |
Production
Development
In September, 2013, AMC announced they were developing a companion series to The Walking Dead, which follows a different set of characters created by Robert Kirkman.[23] In September, 2014, AMC ordered a pilot, which was written by Kirkman and Dave Erickson, and directed by Adam Davidson.[24] It is executive produced by Kirkman, Erickson, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert, with Erickson serving as showrunner.[25] The project was originally known as Cobalt;[26] Kirkman confirmed in March, 2015, that the series would be titled Fear the Walking Dead.[1] On March 9, 2015, AMC announced it had ordered it to series, with a two-season commitment: the first season, comprising six episodes, premiered on August 23, 2015; the second season comprising 15 episodes, will air in 2016.[5][27]
Casting
In December, 2014, the first four starring roles were cast: Kim Dickens as Madison, the female lead; Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa, the male lead; Frank Dillane as Nick; and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia.[28][29][30] In April and May, 2015, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Mercedes Mason were announced as series regulars, both in unknown roles.[31][32]
Filming
Production of the pilot episode began in early 2015 and ended on February 6, 2015.[33][34] The pilot episode was filmed in Los Angeles; the remaining first season episodes were filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.[35][36] Production on the remaining five first season episodes began on May 11, 2015.[10] Adam Davidson, who directed the pilot, also directed the series' second and third episodes.[10] Filming began for the second season in December 2015, with production moving to Baja, Mexico.[37]
Broadcast
On August 23, 2015, the series debuted simultaneously worldwide on: AMC in the U.S.; AMC Global in major regional markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East;[38] and FX in Australia.[39] Hulu holds the show's video on demand rights in the U.S., while in Germany and Austria, Amazon Instant Video owns the streaming rights, making episodes available online one day after their original airing. Streaming in the United Kingdom was slated to become available to Amazon Prime members in 2016.[40][41]
Reception
Critical response
Season 1
On Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 67 critics gave Fear the Walking Dead a positive review, whose average rating is 6.5 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fear the Walking Dead recycles elements of its predecessor, but it's still moody and engrossing enough to compete with the original."[42] On Metacritic, the mean score from 33 critics is 66/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[43]
One of the harshest negative reviews came from HitFix, on Daniel Fienberg and Alan Sepinwall's podcast, where Fienberg called the premiere episode "awful, just horrible ... as bad as The Walking Dead has ever gotten at its very worst. This is that bad. I've been kind of stunned to see people being generous to it. ... I thought this was almost unwatchably bad." Sepinwall called his B- review "slightly generous".[44][45] Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post rated the first two episodes three out of four stars, stating that "[They] are creepily suspenseful–they're great examples of how effective a slow pace and a moody atmosphere can be."[46] Another positive review of the first episode came from Ken Tucker of Yahoo TV, who wrote, "Fear the Walking Dead is a mood piece, more artful than the original series" and that the cast is "terrific".[47] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter gave an average review, writing, "The 90-minute first episode and the hour-long second episode are, while not actually boring, certainly less magnetic than the original."[48]
Ratings
The U.S. series premiere attracted 10.1 million total viewers, with 6.3 million in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic, both cable television records for a series premiere.[49][50] Numerous foreign debuts of the pilot also set ratings records.[38] The first season averaged 11.2 million viewers in "live plus-3" ratings (includes VOD and DVR viewing within three days after initial telecast) to become the highest-rated first season of any series in cable history.[51]
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | Premiered | Ended | Average viewers (in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere viewers (in millions) |
Date | Finale viewers (in millions) | ||||
| Season 1 | Sunday 9:00 pm | 6 | August 23, 2015 | 10.13[52] | October 4, 2015 | 6.86[53] | 7.61[54] |
| Season 2 | 15 | April 10, 2016 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | E! Online Best. Ever. TV. Awards | New Show You're Most Excited to See | Fear the Walking Dead | Won | [55] |
| Writers Guild of America Award | Short Form New Media – Original | L. Signorino and Mike Zunic for "Part 8" (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462) | Nominated | [56] |
Home media
The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 1, 2015.[57] A special edition version of the first season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 22, 2016, with new bonus features, including deleted scenes, seven featurettes, and audio commentaries on all six episodes by cast and crew.[58]
References
- 1 2 Ross, Dalton (March 27, 2015). "And the title of The Walking Dead companion series is...". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ↑ Slezak, Michael (July 10, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead Trailer Is Finally Here! (And So's the Premiere Date!)". TVLine. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ↑ Prudom, Laura (August 5, 2015). "‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Cast and Creators Talk Kickstarting the Apocalypse". Variety. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (January 8, 2016). "Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Premiere Date Announced". TVLine. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- 1 2 Patten, Dominic (July 31, 2015). "‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Producer Teases Link To ‘Walking Dead’ As Season 2 Episode Order Set – TCA". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ↑ "AMC's "Fear the Walking Dead" Season Two Begins Production in Baja, Mexico" (Press release). AMC. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Cast". AMC. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- 1 2 Cohn, Paulette (August 25, 2015). "'Fear the Walking Dead' producer: Prequel hit about 'dread, the anxiety, and paranoia'". Fox News. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ↑ "About the Show". AMC. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "AMC's "Fear the Walking Dead" Begins Production in Vancouver" (Press release). AMC. May 11, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ↑ Murphy, Shaunna (August 21, 2015). "‘Fear The Walking Dead': Kim Dickens Explains How Drug Addiction Plays A Major Role". MTV. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- 1 2 Ross, Dalton (May 18, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman reveals new details and casting". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (May 18, 2015). "Ruben Blades Joins ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ On AMC". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (December 3, 2015). "'Fear the Walking Dead' Promotes Colman Domingo to Series Regular for Season 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ↑ Rorke, Robert (August 14, 2015). "‘Fear the Walking Dead’: The good, the bad and the zombies". New York Post. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ↑ Pena, Xochitl (August 21, 2015). "Indio grad talks appearance on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’". The Desert Sun. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ↑ Ross, Dalton (June 4, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead: Exclusive photos and intel from Robert Kirkman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (June 16, 2015). "Shawn Hatosy Joins ‘Fear The Walking Dead’; Madison McLaughlin In ‘Chicago PD’". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (June 1, 2015). "Sandrine Holt Joins ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ On AMC". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (January 28, 2016). "‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Casts Daniel Zovatto In Recurring Role". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (January 29, 2016). "‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Casts Arturo Del Puerto, ‘The Strain’ Adds America Olivo". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (February 4, 2016). "Fear the Walking Dead: Dougray Scott Joins Spinoff's Season 2 Cast". TVLine. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (September 16, 2013). "'Walking Dead' Companion Series in the Works at AMC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 24, 2014). "Adam Davidson To Direct Pilot For ‘The Walking Dead’ Companion Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (September 5, 2014). "'The Walking Dead' companion series gets pilot greenlight". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (December 16, 2014). "AMC's 'Walking Dead' Prequel: All the Details (So Far)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (March 9, 2015). "AMC's Walking Dead Spinoff Snags Two-Season Order, Premiere Date". TVLine. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (December 4, 2014). "'Walking Dead' spinoff casts male lead". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (December 23, 2014). "Kim Dickens To Star In ‘The Walking Dead’ Companion Series On AMC". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (December 1, 2014). "Frank Dillane & Alycia Debnam Carey Cast In ‘The Walking Dead’ Companion Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (April 30, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead casts Orange is the New Black actress in mystery role". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2015). "Mercedes Mason Joins AMC’s ‘Fear The Walking Dead’". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ↑ Ross, Dalton (January 16, 2015). "Robert Kirkman says 'Walking Dead' spinoff will be 'startlingly different'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ Miska, Brad (February 17, 2015). "[TV] Why Hasn’t "The Walking Dead" Spinoff Been Picked Up Yet?!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ↑ Jancelewicz, Chris (March 16, 2015). "'The Walking Dead' Spinoff To Be Shot In Vancouver". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Walking Dead spinoff shot exclusively in Vancouver". CBC News. August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ↑ Sirani, Jordan (December 3, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead: Season 2 Begins Production in Mexico". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- 1 2 Kissell, Rick. "‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Premiere Powers AMC Global to Record Ratings". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ↑ Knox, David (August 25, 2015). "10m viewers -Fear the Walking Dead becomes biggest launch in US cable history". TV Tonight. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ↑ Falcone, Dana Rose (April 29, 2015). "Hulu will stream Fear the Walking Dead and future AMC scripted series exclusively". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ↑ Szalai, Georg (August 20, 2015). "Amazon Takes 'Fear the Walking Dead' for Germany, Austria, U.K.". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Fear the Walking Dead: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Fear the Walking Dead : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (August 20, 2015). "No. 296 - 'Fear the Walking Dead' and more". HitFix. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (August 20, 2015). "Review: 'Fear the Walking Dead' goes back to the dawn of the zombie apocalypse". HitFix. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (August 20, 2015). "‘Walking Dead’ prequel is creepily suspenseful". New York Post. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ↑ Tucker, Ken (August 5, 2015). "'Fear the Walking Dead': Artful Suspense, Not Bloody Horror". Yahoo TV. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ↑ Goodman, Tim (August 4, 2015). "'Fear the Walking Dead': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (August 24, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead premiere makes cable ratings history". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ Patten, Dominic (August 24, 2015). "‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Debut Ratings Draw 10.1M Viewers, Shatters Cable Records". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ Kissell, Rick (October 9, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead's Ratings Break Cable Record". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Cable Top 25: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Tops Cable Viewership for the Week Ending August 23, 2015". TV by the Numbers. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ↑ Porter, Rick (October 6, 2015). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Fear the Walking Dead' finale leads night, plus 'The Strain' finale, 'Rick & Morty,' 'Kardashians'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Fear the Walking Dead: Season One Ratings". TV Series Finale. October 6, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ↑ Dos Santos, Kristin; Bricker, Tierney (July 13, 2015). "Best. Ever. TV. Awards: Watch Outlander, Vampire Diaries, Arrow and More Winners Accept Their Trophies!". E! Online. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (February 13, 2016). "WGA Honors ‘Big Short,’ ‘Spotlight,’ ‘Mad Men’ at 68th Awards". Variety. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ↑ Lambert, David (October 6, 2015). "Fear the Walking Dead - Press Release Announces 'The Complete 1st Season' on Blu-ray, DVD". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ↑ Lambert, David (January 20, 2016). "Fear the Walking Dead - 'The Complete 1st Season: Special Edition's' Press Release!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
External links
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