Talking Dead: Where Chris Hardwick Got His Groove Back

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Just now, mightysparrow said:

I'd give anything to see Chad, especially since Sonequa's there.  Bernthal and Cudlitz would be nice too.

Bernthal is probably working, than man stays booked.

[Rosiejuliemom]

Jerry with the cobbler cake is a nice way to end.

[MichaelaRae]

They do seem to really love each other. I have FEELZ. DON'T MOCK ME.

[chick binewski]

While I have some TWD issues I really kind of love the show and I don't see how a FTWD crossover is going to be anything to look forward to. Original recipe is such a better show and there is no way Fear measures up against it.

[ottoDbusdriver]

They mentioned the FTWD/TWD crossover but provided no details.

Unless there is a multi-year time jump on FTWD or Eugene invents a time machine on TWD, I'm not sure how they are going to sync up the 2 series.

ETA: @chick binewski -- beat me to it.

Edited October 23, 2017 by ottoDbusdriver

[SimoneS]

The crossover is to help FTWD which has shit ratings. One of the characters is heading to Houston so the crossover will be Abraham and/or Eugene and/or Rosita in the past on FTWD.

3 minutes ago, MichaelaRae said:

They do seem to really love each other. I have FEELZ. DON'T MOCK ME.

Eh, they are actors. Take their public personas with a heaping of salt.

[MichaelaRae]

1 minute ago, SimoneS said:

Eh, they are actors. Take their public personas with a heaping of salt.

Don't harsh my mellow, dude. <3

[MrsRafaelBarba]

4 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

While I have some TWD issues I really kind of love the show and I don't see how a FTWD crossover is going to be anything to look forward to. Original recipe is such a better show and there is no way Fear measures up against it.

 

Gimple coming on board, New Showrunners and a crossover.

 

It screams desperation, AMC is giving FEAR one more shot to improve those struggle ratings.

[mightysparrow]

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

 

Eh, they are actors. Take their public personas with a heaping of salt.

I can't wait for the tell-all book, when we find out which actors hated each other.  And that they ALL hated Gimple.  

[TDT]

3 hours ago, Rosiejuliemom said:

Merle with the balloons! Damn, do I miss that knife-armed cuss.

Can we get David Morrissey, Chad L. Coleman, Jon Bernthal, and Michael Cudlitz before the end?

Only one that really was missing was Lizzie..expected her to come on stage with a bouquet of flowers and give them to Melissa LOL..surprised that the actress who played Sophia wasnt there either..

off-topic the more promos i see for Justice League the more i think its going to be a absolute trainwreck

[SimoneS]

6 hours ago, mightysparrow said:

I can't wait for the tell-all book, when we find out which actors hated each other.  And that they ALL hated Gimple.  

If there is anyone that most of them dislike, it is Kirkman.

[Irishmaple]

I had to bail before 11.30 because I have to be out the door at 6.15. I missed T-Dog? And Merle? And, okay, Lori?

It was one of the better lovefests, but the thing that stood out for me was Kirkman. My only exposure to him comes from his appearances on this show and he never comes across well for me. He seems smug and arrogant, and I’ve never cared for his attitude towards cast members who have just been killed off. This time he seemed muted and he talked about hope growing instead of smirking at the grim darkness of it all. He looked humbled. I wonder if it was the criticism of last season and the falling ratings that got to him, or was there a pointed message from AMC to get their investment back on track?

Melissa McBride looked stunning (as did many of her cast mates) but these big occasions do not seem to be her thing. She looked uncomfortable with the screaming and yelling from the fans. 

[Rosiejuliemom]

5 hours ago, TDT said:

Only one that really was missing was Lizzie..expected her to come on stage with a bouquet of flowers and give them to Melissa LOL..surprised that the actress who played Sophia wasnt there either..

off-topic the more promos i see for Justice League the more i think its going to be a absolute trainwreck

No Andrea or Dale, either.

[ghoulina]

10 hours ago, MichaelaRae said:

They do seem to really love each other. I have FEELZ. DON'T MOCK ME.

Honestly, this is a large part of why I keep watching. I grew up doing a lot of theater and always wanted to continue acting as an adult. Life had other plans, but I still remember the best part wasn't performing, but the friendships I made, the way we all became one big family. I LOVED that part, and I love seeing how close all the members of TWD are with each other.  And as preposterous as the show has become, I feel very connected to many of these characters, and the actors that play them. 

I couldn't make it through the entire TD, but now knowing that I get to see Hershelf, Merle, T-dog, and Lori....I'm not deleting off my DVR!!!!

2 hours ago, Irishmaple said:

It was one of the better lovefests, but the thing that stood out for me was Kirkman. My only exposure to him comes from his appearances on this show and he never comes across well for me. He seems smug and arrogant, and I’ve never cared for his attitude towards cast members who have just been killed off. This time he seemed muted and he talked about hope growing instead of smirking at the grim darkness of it all. He looked humbled. I wonder if it was the criticism of last season and the falling ratings that got to him, or was there a pointed message from AMC to get their investment back on track?

Yea, but he also said they're going to do a million episodes and I hoped he'd drop dead right then and there. Good show =/= most episodes. 

Edited October 23, 2017 by ghoulina

[iMonrey]

When Melissa McBride walked out on stage she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

Quote

Bwah! I caught that. Hardwick is so full of shit sometimes.

What do you mean "sometimes?" Honestly, the Scavengers have to be the single greatest misstep this show has ever taken. Nobody loves them, Chris. I mean I get it, he's got the writers and the producers sitting right there and doesn't want to insult them but let's not pretend the fans love the (arguably) worst thing about Season 7. He could have at least asked the writers to explain why the hell the Scavengers talk like that.

[ShadowHunter]

It was smart they were inside this time.

Great seeing some old cast members. I agree with others what was Emily wearing. 

They showed us Yvette Nicole Brown sitting in the audience knew she wouldn't miss it. Love her she is a fangirl.

It was sweet when Norman kissed Melissa on the hand. Aww.

Andrew laughing and being able to smile.  

I noticed we were missing older cast members though. They could have been busy. I know Jon Bernthal is. 

At the end when everyone started to cheer and go Jerry! Jerry!  Made me smile. I like his character.

It was a great salute to 100 episodes.

[SimoneS]

17 minutes ago, ShadowHunter said:

They showed us Yvette Nicole Brown sitting in the audience knew she wouldn't miss it. Love her she is a fangirl.

I missed this! I love Yvette! I will have to do a rewatch. When did they show her? 

Edited October 23, 2017 by SimoneS

[chick binewski]

7 hours ago, Irishmaple said:

Melissa McBride looked stunning (as did many of her cast mates) but these big occasions do not seem to be her thing. She looked uncomfortable with the screaming and yelling from the fans. 

She always looks so effortlessly beautiful. I think she would have been a very different kind of star in another era. 

I wonder if any former cast members feel a loyalty to Frank Darabont?  And maybe whatever happened showrunner-wise helped bond the actors? 

[SnarkyTart]

What with Xander Berkeley having been exposed for sexting with a teenage girl, it was really creepy seeing him dressed in a hanging open shirt unbuttoned nearly to his 61-year-old navel.  I wish Gregory had broken his neck when Simon pushed him down the stairs.  Other than that, this was a really fun Talking Dead episode, and seemed too short at 2 hours. 

[iMonrey]

I find it somewhat ironic that Danai Guriri's and Khary Payton's hair is fake while Scott Wilson's ponytail is real.

[smorbie]

15 hours ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

 

Gimple coming on board, New Showrunners and a crossover.

 

It screams desperation, AMC is giving FEAR one more shot to improve those struggle ratings.

Oh, I had to turn the tv off when Gimple came on.  there was too much of a party atmosphere and I could no longer hear.  Is he doing double duty, then, working on both shows.  Or is he leaving TWD?

[ShadowHunter]

2 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I missed this! I love Yvette! I will have to do a rewatch. When did they show her? 

They showed her sitting in the audience for a few seconds. The exact time cant remember lol.  Now that you know you will see her. She looked happy!  It was early in the show though.

[ghoulina]

1 hour ago, SnarkyTart said:

What with Xander Berkeley having been exposed for sexting with a teenage girl, it was really creepy seeing him dressed in a hanging open shirt unbuttoned nearly to his 61-year-old navel.  I wish Gregory had broken his neck when Simon pushed him down the stairs.  Other than that, this was a really fun Talking Dead episode, and seemed too short at 2 hours. 

Ew, what? I hadn't heard that. 

 

33 minutes ago, ShadowHunter said:

They showed her sitting in the audience for a few seconds. The exact time cant remember lol.  Now that you know you will see her. She looked happy!  It was early in the show though.

It was definitely in the first hour, because I still haven't watched hour two and I saw her. I want to say it was close to the very beginning. I remember saying, "Oh, hi, Yvette!"

[Gudzilla]

Scavenger girl cleans up nicely, and I like a woman who will eat cake off a man's face.

Is it my imagination or is Lauren (and her fantastic legs) losing her English accent ?

UO: I thought Emily Kinney looked adorable.

[raven]

6 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

Other than that, this was a really fun Talking Dead episode, and seemed too short at 2 hours. 

Definitely fun; even better when I watch next day and can FF thru commercials and the fan stuff.  I enjoyed the cast bringing up the obvious - why didn't anyone shoot Negan, Negan is obsessed with potty talk and dick measuring (or "willie wonkas" as Andy Lincoln said) and Hardwick goofing on Negan leaning backwards.

I noticed that Tom Payne and Alanna M were goofing around in the background, holding up rabbit ears :) and such.  Everyone seemed to be having fun except maybe Melissa McBride, but I think she is just uncomfortable in public situations.  Liked Norman being surprised by Michael Rooker and so many of the cast seemed genuinely happy to see Scott Wilson, that was nice.

I know Hardwick shills for the show, but he's a good host. really seems to enjoy the show and if he doesn't mind his face being pushed into cake, who am I to argue?

I forgot that the first season was six episodes!  Wow is the show bloated now.

[ghoulina]

13 hours ago, Gudzilla said:

Is it my imagination or is Lauren (and her fantastic legs) losing her English accent ?

I definitely noticed that when I finished watching last night! 

 

So glad I finished watching. Teared up at Steven's call in. Was THRILLED to see Scott Wilson and Michael Rooker. I even got all nostalgic and teary with the video from Sarah Wayne Callies. This after show made me WANT to love this show again. I forgot how much I loved it in the early years. I really love most of this cast, but the show has gone very wrong somewhere down the line. It sucks. 

I think Alana is a major show off. She's always doing crap in the background, trying to be funny and get attention. She sure made her way right up to the front when the cake was brought out. She strikes me as a girl who was unpopular in school and always needs to be "in" with the group. I'm not even hating on her for it, just making some observations. 

[DearEvette]

I hadn't planned to watch it.  But I did like seeing everybody and it was a fun party atmosphere.  I think they all do legitimately like each other  -- at least I think the actors all seem to like each other. 

My  major takeaways:

- for two hours not a lot was said about the show itself  except -- they even seemed to have hated last season, not just us.

- JDM feels like he is internalizing some Negan stuff.  It is siphoning some of his hotness off for me.

- Alanna has way more personality than Tara.  It is a shame that doesn't seem to shine through.

- Danai's eye shadow was so pretty

- I always forget that Lennie Morgan is a Brit

- Khary Payton had gorgeous teeth

- I could listen to Andrew Lincoln say "Willy wanka" over and over again

- Nothing will make me like Garbage Pail chick.  Especially not the actress teasing some flirtation with Rick.  Ugh. Just ugh.

[ghoulina]

2 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I always forget that Lennie Morgan is a Brit

SO many Brits on this show! Tom Payne is the one I always forget. 

[Ocean Chick]

Lauren is definitely losing her Brit accent.  Everyone except poor Emily was looking good.  Emily would have looked good in some other outfit, but that was just really weird looking.  Blue splotches over her nipples?  Whatever.  So good to see Steve, Scott, Michael, I-rone and Sarah again.  And yes, 2 hours was NOT enough time for all those people.  

LOVED "baby Shiva"!  And Khary and Cooper have the BEST smiles in the business.

[iMonrey]

Quote

This is exactly why I stopped watching this show.  TWD isn't going to get any better if all of the criticisms of TWD never meet the light of day on this show.     If you have the writers on air, there is no better time to address all of the issues on TWD series, and on the FTWD series as well.   Give the writers a chance to respond to the criticisms.  There is a way to be critical without coming off as a total douche. 

The problem is that Chris is there to promote the show. I doubt very much AMC wants to have a show that criticizes its other show. Now, I do agree Talking Dead drifts too far in obsequiousness, and surely there's a way for Chris to ask some basic questions fans are raising, like "Why do the Scavengers talk that way?" He doesn't have to be insulting - he can simply say "fans are asking . . ." It's hard to know if he genuinely loves everything about the show without exception and questions nothing, or if he's wary of anything resembling criticism. 

[SimoneS]

20 hours ago, Gudzilla said:

UO: I thought Emily Kinney looked adorable.

I agree about Emily. Yes, her outfit was a bit out there, but I thought she looked lovely.

 

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The problem is that Chris is there to promote the show. I doubt very much AMC wants to have a show that criticizes its other show. Now, I do agree Talking Dead drifts too far in obsequiousness, and surely there's a way for Chris to ask some basic questions fans are raising, like "Why do the Scavengers talk that way?" He doesn't have to be insulting - he can simply say "fans are asking . . ." It's hard to know if he genuinely loves everything about the show without exception and questions nothing, or if he's wary of anything resembling criticism. 

This. I get the distinct impression that he is always thinking on his feet about how to finesse criticism of the show when the guest celebs come on. I think that he has similar reservations like most fans, but he mostly likes his job and doesn't want lose it so I never hold it against him.

Edited October 24, 2017 by SimoneS

[SimoneS]

6 hours ago, ghoulina said:

This after show made me WANT to love this show again. I forgot how much I loved it in the early years. I really love most of this cast, but the show has gone very wrong somewhere down the line. It sucks. 

I feel the same. I loved TWD so much. I was their perfect fan. I bought into their world, would occasionally critique some points, but defended the show to the hilt. I never thought that I would ever stop watching, but something changed to the end of season six and I stopped watching live and/or regularly in season seven. 

[raven]

12 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

TWD isn't going to get any better if all of the criticisms of TWD never meet the light of day on this show. 

I never looked at TD as anything other than a forum for positive discussion and tidbits, so my interest/tolerance of it varies on who the guests are and how much I liked the episode.  TWD is a very highly rated show and my guess is Kirkman et al think it is moving along just fine.  Unless criticisms of the show directly affect the ratings, nothing much will change.

[nodorothyparker]

I've always equated TD about the same way I do fan boards where everybody loves every explosion and every character is a badass, cue lots of memes or fanboy screaming.  It's fine for what it is if I really loved that particular episode or the guest of the night is someone I just want to see, but it's not where I'm going to look for any serious examination or criticism of the show.  Sure, ratings were down for this premier episode but they're still pretty damn good comparatively and especially for a show that's as long in the tooth as this one is getting.  People are still shelling out the cash for events and the merchandise, so they probably don't care a ton how much we individually may or may not like it beyond that.

Besides, I seriously can't imagine AMC airing anything immediately following its cash cow that tells the audience that what they just watched sucks.  People probably aren't going to stick around for that second hour unless they already liked what they saw and it doesn't make any sense from a business standpoint.

[rmontro]

On 10/22/2017 at 11:49 PM, Rosiejuliemom said:

Merle with the balloons! Damn, do I miss that knife-armed cuss.

He's Mary Poppins, y'all!

On 10/23/2017 at 0:00 AM, chick binewski said:

While I have some TWD issues I really kind of love the show and I don't see how a FTWD crossover is going to be anything to look forward to. 

You're right about that.  Whatever issues TWD may have, it's 1000% better than Fear the Walking Dead, which is horrible.  

Besides which, the whole idea behind "Fear" was it was supposed to be a look back to the early days of the zombocalypse, so the time doesn't sync up (as Otto noted, above).

I can't see Fear doing anything but dragging down the main show.  It might be more tolerable if they put the crossover solely on FTWD.

Maybe they could take advantage of the time difference and we could see Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene before they hooked up with Rick and company.

[Rosiejuliemom]

8 hours ago, ghoulina said:

So glad I finished watching. Teared up at Steven's call in. Was THRILLED to see Scott Wilson and Michael Rooker. I even got all nostalgic and teary with the video from Sarah Wayne Callies. This after show made me WANT to love this show again. I forgot how much I loved it in the early years. I really love most of this cast, but the show has gone very wrong somewhere down the line. It sucks. 

Scott, Michael, and IronE got me all nostalgic. I would have liked to have seen everybody, but that just wasn't feasible for the allotted time. I totally agree with you about wanting to love the show again. Sometimes, I feel like I think this show is better than it actually is, which is quite disappointing. It seems to veer between absolutely riveting and deadly dull with very little in between. I don't know how much longer I can put up with only 4-5 good episodes a season, but I'm too invested in some of the characters to quit now.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I get the distinct impression that he is always thinking on his feet about how to finesse criticism of the show when the guest celebs come on.

Yeah - like he says "everyone loves the Scavengers!" which is patently untrue. But then he proceeds to make fun of Jadis' hair because that's really all you can do with her. 

[ghoulina]

Oh Lord, I forgot about the crossover talk. Dear God, please let it happen on FTWD - which I don't watch - so I don't have to suffer through this nonsense. 

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, ghoulina said:

Oh Lord, I forgot about the crossover talk. Dear God, please let it happen on FTWD - which I don't watch - so I don't have to suffer through this nonsense. 

It has to; FTWD's timeline is two years back in TWD's rear view mirror.

[chick binewski]

On 10/24/2017 at 1:55 PM, iMonrey said:

The problem is that Chris is there to promote the show. I doubt very much AMC wants to have a show that criticizes its other show. Now, I do agree Talking Dead drifts too far in obsequiousness, and surely there's a way for Chris to ask some basic questions fans are raising, like "Why do the Scavengers talk that way?" He doesn't have to be insulting - he can simply say "fans are asking . . ." It's hard to know if he genuinely loves everything about the show without exception and questions nothing, or if he's wary of anything resembling criticism. 

 

On 10/24/2017 at 5:56 PM, SimoneS said:

I get the distinct impression that he is always thinking on his feet about how to finesse criticism of the show when the guest celebs come on. I think that he has similar reservations like most fans, but he mostly likes his job and doesn't want lose it so I never hold it against him.

This may not be completely fair but I put some of the blame for Hardwick's attitude on FTWD. During the earlier seasons of TTD Hardwick would bust on the actors for their characters' actions and it was a lot of fun to watch. Whether the character was good and did something stupid or bad and did something hateful you felt that he loved the show as much as we did but wasn't a complete shill for AMC. With Fear I think everything became a bit more forced and a bit less authentic, based on the fact that Fear kind of sucked and didn't offer anything we were hoping for.

I'm also going to blame JDM because I can. The actor is doing a job but a) his character is the worst b) after six seasons AMC now features him as the lead character - a character that has no backstory or evolution and c) JDM is irritating during the appearances and I always get the feeling he's being sold to us and Hardwick has been one of his designated PR people. 

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, Nashville said:

It has to; FTWD's timeline is two years back in TWD's rear view mirror.

Well, it wouldn't have to.  For example, they might have Daniel disappear from FTWD,, no one sees him after the dam explosion.  But then he might show up on TWD, having limped his way east during the past two years.  I don't want to see that though, and I'd consider it unlikely.

I'll just go on record here to say that I like Negan, and I like Jeffery Dean Morgan's portrayal of him.  That may be a minority view these days, but there it is.

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, rmontro said:

Well, it wouldn't have to.  For example, they might have Daniel disappear from FTWD,, no one sees him after the dam explosion.  But then he might show up on TWD, having limped his way east during the past two years.  I don't want to see that though, and I'd consider it unlikely.

The two options are not relatively equal in weight, though:

1. A TWD alum pops up in FTWD. Relatively minor impact on TWD; it does little more than flesh out that character's backstory.
2. A FTWD alum pops up in TWD.  MUCH more significant impact on FTWD, because you - and the writers - and the audience - all now know regardless of whatever calamities may strike FTWD's planet Earth, THIS particular fucking guy is 100% guaranteed survival for the next two years.  

Kinda removes some of the suspense, donchaknow.

[ghoulina]

Is there really any suspense on FTWD, though?

Serious question. I quit watching halfway into season 2. 

[rmontro]

18 hours ago, Nashville said:

A FTWD alum pops up in TWD.  MUCH more significant impact on FTWD, because you - and the writers - and the audience - all now know regardless of whatever calamities may strike FTWD's planet Earth, THIS particular fucking guy is 100% guaranteed survival for the next two years.  

Also, putting a FTWD character on TWD is just going to disrupt the senior, and superior show.  It can't really help the story or the ratings.  

But it you put a TWD guy on FTWD, that may spark some interest and viewers to the lesser show, so that seems like the smarter thing to do.

Are we really sure that FTWD is still two years behind?  I know it started that way, but do we really how much time has passed on the shows?

[Nashville]

17 hours ago, rmontro said:

Are we really sure that FTWD is still two years behind?  I know it started that way, but do we really how much time has passed on the shows?

According to the FTWD and TWD wikis:

• FTWD is up to Day +64 (64 days after the global outbreak) - a little over two months.
• The TWD wiki isn't fully caught up to Season 8 yet, but the S7 Finale (Gunfight at the ASZhat Corral) took place on Day +604.

So, to relate: right about the same time Nick was blowing up the dam, Jenner was blowing up the CDC.  ;)

[Gobi]

On 10/27/2017 at 6:00 PM, Nashville said:

According to the FTWD and TWD wikis:

• FTWD is up to Day +64 (64 days after the global outbreak) - a little over two months.
• The TWD wiki isn't fully caught up to Season 8 yet, but the S7 Finale (Gunfight at the ASZhat Corral) took place on Day +604.

So, to relate: right about the same time Nick was blowing up the dam, Jenner was blowing up the CDC.  ;)

FTWD (pronounced "Eff the Walking Dead) is only 64 days post ZA!? It seems like years.

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, Gobi said:

FTWD (pronounced "Eff the Walking Dead) is only 64 days post ZA!? It seems like years.

Yeah, 64 days is barely over two months.  Seems like more time has gone on that that.  Is that wiki considered canon?

And it's less than two years for The Walking Dead?  Seems longer there too.  

[SoSueMe]

Oh geez, Gimple is whining about time constraints.

[chick binewski]

*sniff* Eastman RIP.

[Unusual Suspect]

I would rather have had Tom and Alanna all episode than Gimple. They were adorable.