Why NBC is Broken

But a “Walking Dead” pilot script did not get far at NBC. “On the face of it they got excited,” Mr. Darabont said. “‘Oh my God, a zombie show!’ Then I wrote the script and handed it to them. And they said, ‘Oh my God, this is a zombie show.’ ”

They don't know what they want.  Zombies are hot these days, from IR theory to movies, and they have the guy behind Shawshank Redemption.  But, of course, they say no, as the show would be far too interesting for network tv.  AMC, once again, figures it out.

The end result is a series that aspires to convey the same level of human desperation as AMC’s other signature shows, but with more decaying flesh, exploding body parts and devoured horses.