AMC to air 'Talking Dead' chat show

NEW YORK, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- AMC says it plans to air "Talking Dead," the U.S. cable network's first live after-show, to serve as a platform for discussion about "The Walking Dead."

The half-hour episodes are produced by Michael Davies' Embassy Row. Chris Hardwick is to serve as host of the show, which will premiere immediately following the encore presentation of "The Walking Dead" Oct. 16.

"As an enormous fan of both 'The Walking Dead' comic and television show, I pretty much begged for this job. I'm fairly certain I slobbered on the phone while doing it. Dissecting the moves of Rick Grimes and the remaining survivors after every episode is something I would be doing with my friends anyway, so the fact that AMC is actually paying to do so is a bonus," Hardwick said in a statement Thursday. "This half-hour after-show gives fans the opportunity to nerd out about the story in a very public forum: what they like, what they don't like, or what questions they may have. Additionally, it will better inform viewers on making intelligent decisions when faced with the zombie apocalypse, which will probably happen sooner or later."

"Fans of 'The Walking Dead' are incredibly engaged with every aspect of the show. They tweet, blog, and post comments in very large numbers, and we wanted to give them an opportunity to interact with the show in a way that they don't currently have -- a kind of live water cooler," added Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content. "And, we knew we needed a great host, and are thrilled to have Chris Hardwick on board. He is genuinely knowledgeable about the genre, and truly entertaining."

"The Walking Dead" stars Andrew Lincoln and Laurie Gordon.