This study documents the industrial conditions that permitted the green-lighting and production of The Walking Dead (2010–present) on AMC, a network that built its reputation through high-brow series like Mad Men (2007–2015) and Breaking Bad (2008–2013). The findings challenge two major arguments forwarded to make sense of the show’s airing: 1) the diagnostic model which suggests that zombies dovetailed into a zeitgeist-coloured paranoia of Others and the aftereffects of a neoliberalised social order and 2) the reputation model, which maintains that the industry track records of the personnel behind projects significantly enhances the chances of receiving a green-light.

这项研究记录了允许在 AMC 上绿灯和制作《行尸走肉》（2010 年至今）的工业条件，该网络通过像Mad Men（2007-2015）和Breaking Bad（2008年）这样的高雅系列建立了声誉–2013）。这些发现挑战了为使节目播出有意义而提出的两个主要论点：1) 诊断模型表明僵尸与时代精神色彩的偏执狂相吻合，以及新自由主义社会秩序的后遗症；2) 声誉模型，它维持项目背后人员的行业记录显着提高了获得批准的机会。