Season 6 of The Walking Dead ended on such a crazy cliffhanger that fans everywhere have been talking about the finale since it aired in April. Unfortunately for AMC, some of the chatter has been from fans declaring that they were done with the show forever. New bad guy Negan beat somebody to death with a baseball bat, but the show neglected to reveal which of the good guys was bashed off to the great zombie apocalypse sanctuary in the sky. The Walking Dead may have gone too far in ending a season on a question this time around. But according to executive producer Robert Kirkman, viewers shouldn't be driven away from the series just because of the cliffhanger. Here's what Kirkman has to say on the matter:
A lot of the responses were like, 'Ah, these jerks trying to pull one over on us,' and it's like, 'No. It's all done in an effort to keep you entertained.' We love the fan base, we love the audience and so if you didn't like this one you'll like the next one. We hopefully have many more seasons to go.
Walking Dead comics scribe/executive producer Robert Kirkman shared his thoughts on why everybody should really come back for Season 7 in a chat with EW, and it's no surprise that he might feel the need for damage control as fall TV season approaches. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple addressed why the cliffhanger was totally a grand idea that fans should be cool with immediately after the finale aired, and Daryl actor Norman Reedus has been making the media rounds touting how awesomely the cliffhanger is going to be resolved. Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have also dropped teases about what's coming next. And since show is set to return to the airwaves soon, with viewers deciding whether or not to keep The Walking Dead on their TV schedules, the time may have been right for the comic scribe himself to make his appeal.
Robert Kirkman almost certainly isn't wrong that The Walking Dead has a long future ahead. The zombie apocalypse series is currently AMC's biggest - and pretty much only - cash cow, so fans who stick around for Season 7 can probably count on the show coming back for Season 8 and beyond. Who knows? Maybe none of us will even remember that Season 6 ended on a cliffhanger in a few years. Any of us who made it all the way to the end of Season 6 are certainly no strangers to Walking Dead cliffhangers.
Personally, I'll be back for Season 7 this fall, but I can't say that I 100% buy that Robert Kirkman and Co. weren't trying to pull one over on fans. Season 6 ended a lot of its episodes on cliffhangers, so it's never been a matter of not liking this one cliffhanger for me. I just didn't like that the show pulled another big cliffhanger in what felt like a ploy. Hopefully the Season 7 premiere will be good enough that the wait for resolution will have been worth it.
Take a look at our breakdown of what we know so far about The Walking Dead Season 7, and check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what else you'll be able to watch on the small screen in the near future.
