Podcaster and TV personality Chris Hardwick will get even more airtime on AMC thanks to a new “Talking Dead” spinoff that will air when the zombie series it plays off of is on hiatus, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Whereas currently Mr. Hardwick’s “Talking Dead” program only airs after original broadcasts of “The Walking Dead” or “Fear the Walking Dead” and delves into the episode’s plot and character development, the new spinoff talk show — “Talking with Chris Hardwick” — will air Sundays at 11 p.m. when neither program is producing new episodes.
“Talking” is designed as an interview show, THR reported.
“Chris Hardwick is just the ultimate fan guide, advocate and conversationalist,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC president of originals, THR reported. “He took our desire to serve the fans of ’The Walking Dead’ with an hour of discussion and analysis following each new episode and turned it into the No. 1 talk show on television, and a model that has been widely emulated but never quite duplicated, because Chris is the key.”
Mr. Hardwick will not only host but also executive produce the new program, THR reported.
Besides his AMC commitments, Mr. Hardwick hosts the popular “Nerdist” podcasts, is a pitch man for Xfinity cable service by Comcast and is host of the “@midnight” game show on Comedy Central.
But for all his recent-found fame, the 45-year-old comedian and producer got his big break in TV, and is best known to Gen-Xers for his work on MTV’s mid-’90s dating show “Singled Out.” Mr. Hardwick hosted the game show alongside Playboy models Jenny McCarthy (seasons 1-2) and Carmen Electra (season 3).
“It was a blast. I was right out of college. Who wouldn’t love that job?” he once wrote at his Nerdist website.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.