[TV] Glen Mazzara Reveals Why He Left The Walking Dead Posted by Joseph Lee on 01.30.2013
What went wrong?
While speaking at NATPE (via the Hollywood Reporter), Glen Mazzara revealed why he left The Walking Dead. Here are highlights:
On how he got the job of showrunner: "I was sort of the hired gun coming in to support the creator of the show, and through odd circumstances I ended up becoming showrunner."
On not having the creative authority he thought he had: "When you're the creator, you can say, 'This is what the show is.' I didn't create the show. I didn't create the comic book, so I'm just glad I was able to contribute."
On being left alone in the first season: "There was a period during the first six episodes or so when we were sort of left alone. Nobody really knew how to note the show. Then the show premiered, and it got very big ratings. Then there were suddenly seven executives I never met before saying like: ‘Oh my God, don't f--- it up. This feels a little too weird. Can you pull this back?' The idea of looking at it in terms of ‘It's doing well, so just go do you're thing' doesn't exist. The reality is … we're on the creative side of it, but it's a business."
