AMC will begin airing episodes from the first two seasons of its hit zombie show The Walking Dead in black and white on Thursdays. The network suggests that viewing the episodes this way will mirror the format of Robert Kirkman’s comic book series upon which the show his based.
Viewing the show this way could also give it more of a classic 50s/60s zombie movie feel, which interestingly, is something The Walking Dead’s show developer Frank Darabont (who is no longer attached to The Walking Dead) did with his film The Mist, based on Stephen King’s short story. While not about zombies, the black and white viewing experience gave it a very cool, vintage monster movie feel.
AMC will begin showing the episodes in this style on Valentine’s Day at 8:00 PM Eastern, and will continue each Thursday, leading into the network’s “AMC Real Original Thursdays“.
The midseason premiere, which aired on Sunday, set a series record for viewers, showing just how popular the show has become. It will be interesting to see what kind of ratings the black and white episodes will get.