AMC has renewed “The Walking Dead” for a fourth season but will move forward into that campaign without exec producer Glen Mazzara.

Mazzara succeeded Frank Darabont as the showrunner of “Walking Dead” following the show’s first season.

“The two parties have mutually decided to part ways,” AMC and Mazzara said in a joint statement. “Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3.  AMC is grateful for his hard work.  We are both proud of our shared success.

“Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways.  This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer.”

Subsequently, Mazzara issued his own statement.

“My time as showrunner on ‘The Walking Dead’ has been an amazing experience but after I finish season three, it’s time to move on,” he said. “I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”

Said fellow exec producer Gale Anne Hurd in her statement: “I am appreciative and grateful to Glen for his hard work on ‘The Walking Dead.’ I am supportive of AMC and Glen’s decision and know that the series is in great hands with one of the most talented and dedicated casts and crews in the business. I look forward to the show’s continued success.”

The Dec. 2 midseason finale of “Walking” drew 6.9 million adults 18-49 (a 5.5 national rating in the demo) and 10.5 million viewers overall, becoming TV’s highest-rated entertainment series in adults 18-49, including broadcast.

AMC has renewed “The Walking Dead” for a fourth season but will move forward into that campaign without exec producer Glen Mazzara.

Mazzara succeeded Frank Darabont as the showrunner of “Walking Dead” following the show’s first season.

“The two parties have mutually decided to part ways,” AMC and Mazzara said in a joint statement. “Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3.  AMC is grateful for his hard work.  We are both proud of our shared success.

“Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways.  This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer.”

Subsequently, Mazzara then issued his own statement.

“My time as showrunner on ‘The Walking Dead’ has been an amazing experience but after I finish season three, it’s time to move on,” he said. “I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”

Said fellow exec producer Gale Anne Hurd in her own statement: “I am appreciative and grateful to Glen for his hard work on ‘The Walking Dead.’ I am supportive of AMC and Glen’s decision and know that the series is in great hands with one of the most talented and dedicated casts and crews in the business. I look forward to the show’s continued success.”

The Dec. 2 midseason finale of “Walking” drew 6.9 million adults 18-49 (a 5.5 national rating in the demo) and 10.5 million viewers overall, becoming TV’s highest-rated entertainment series in adults 18-49, including broadcast.

More to come ...

This year it's a "Family Guy" theme. Very funny, a little edgy, as usual. Gary Newman and Dana Walden fit right in with the Griffin clan.

 

Showtime has released a combined trailer for forthcoming dramas "Ray Donovan" and "Masters of Sex" and will tease the new series on Sunday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 16 during the paybler's powerhouse dramas "Homeland" and "Dexter."

"Ray Donovan" centers on the go-to man in LA who can make the scandalous problems of the city's important players disappear. Period piece "Masters of Sex" portrays the real-life pioneers in the science of human sexuality. Showtime has yet to announce a preem date for both series but plans to bow them next year. Check out the trailer here:

 

The strength of MTV's new hit series "Catfish" may just lead to the show's demise.

Show, created and produced by RelativityREAL, is a spin-off of 2010 documentary "Catfish." Here's what makes "Catfish: The TV Show" so utterly compelling: in each episode, Nev Schulman (of "Catfish" doc) links up with a person who is in love with someone they met online. Schulman and his camera-toting buddy Max Joseph chat with the person (let's call them the "Believer" for the sake of clarity) about their online relationship and how the Believer has always wanted to meet their love (Internet Love, let's call 'em) in real life. Some have carried on these telecommunicative relationships for years without Skyping, much less meeting.

(Schulman noted during the show's TCA panel that many folk who live outside of major metropolitan areas don't have webcams, high speed internet and the like, though that doesn't stop the Believer's friends from doing everything short of choking Believer and yelling "What do you mean, you haven't even Skyped?!")

Now, this is where it gets messy. Schulman and Joseph inevitably find damning evidence online about the Believer's love, with the help of an advanced, exclusive technological sleuthing system known as Google. Facebook photos are traced back to another person's profile, modeling schools don't actually exist, employers are nowhere to be found, you get the idea.

Schulman and Joseph present the evidence to the Believer, the Believer freaks out but then, like a child who saw Mommy taking a bite out of "Santa's" cookie in the middle of the night, the Believer defaults back into buying into Internet Love's story and moves forward with meeting them in person.

You can guess what happens next: Believer and Internet Love rendez-vous in real life, and -- no shit! -- Internet Love is a different person than their Facebook or Myspace profile led Believer to, well, believe. In some episodes of "Catfish," Internet Love is a different gender altogether, leading Believer to enter a tailspin of embarrassment and anger.

Cut to viewers, glued to their TV screens: jaws hanging open.

The moment when Believer knocks on Internet Love's door is undoubtedly one of the most suspenseful reveals on reality TV right now as both auds, Schulman, Joseph and the subject of the show have no clue who is about to walk out. The lead up to the reveal is powerful as Believer details his or her deep connection with this internet-stranger ("They are my soul mate," many note). And after the reveal, Internet Love often undergoes a heavy, emotional catharsis about why they felt the need to deceive Believer online. (Answer: in many episodes so far, it's from insecurity and fear that Believer would never like them for who they really are.)

So, with that in mind, "Catfish" ranks as one of the most raw reality shows on TV today. Yet, as I watched last night's episode, I couldn't help but wonder how much longer this show could sustain itself on what is essentially a gimmick.

Yes, the reveal is suspenseful and jarring and jam-packed with a variety of emotions, but it is a gimmick nonetheless. Auds are hooked upon their first viewing of "Catfish" because of how shocking this reveal is, but then, upon further episode viewing, auds come to expect the reveal, the gimmick.

Like a drug, they need more to feel that initial high.

How does "Catfish" continue to compel viewers past a first season when auds come to expect a surprise ending? And does relying on a shocking reveal undermine the emotional core of the show, transforming it from a program centered on the nature of online relationships to a show geared towards the "oh shit!" effect?

Currently, "Catfish" uses a cut and dry formula for each episode that builds to the eventual meet up between the two parties in a relationship. For the show to sustain its frenetic, suspenseful energy, it will need to break out of this reliance on the reveal. (As of now, each episode even opens with a teaser of the Believer/Internet Love meet up, underscoring the importance of that element.) While the reveal is of course a darkly entertaining part of the show, "Catfish's" true strength is not in the Facebook-infused money-shot. Rather, it's in the stories of the people engaged in these relationships, and their motivations.

"Catfish" is only a handful of episodes into its frosh run on MTV, but it has already pulled strong numbers in its late night timeslot on Mondays. I, for one, hope the show sees a second season. But unless it evolves its formula, "Catfish" may prove to be a one-hit wonder for the cabler as it cannibalizes the very surprise ending that attracted viewers in the first place.

With every public appearance Dan Harmon makes, the more can be gleaned about the circumstances surrounding his departure from the series he created, NBC's "Community." Though he made a keynote address at Seattle's XOXO Festival in September, video of the address wasn't available until last week. Those who could make it through the first 20 minutes of his rambling but still fascinating speech about Internet culture would have seen him directly address his falling out with Sony Pictures Television. Here's what he had to say (skip to 24:19 in video above or go to this link):

"I really want to put forth the fact that I was fired for money. My contract was up. My right hand man, writer Chris McKenna's contract was up at the same time as the executive producers beneath me, Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan's contracts were up. And one of my best writers, Megan Ganz's contract  was up. Sony was looking at a helluva negotiation for 13 final episdoes that NBC was burying on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Instead of either promoting or just killing, why not promote it? Why not just kill it? Money. And why for those final 13 episodes, why not renegotiate a deal with someone who doesn't have a contract, who created the show, who's indispensible? Money. It really had nothing to do with anything else."

No doubt Sony and and NBC have their own version of events. And Harmon himself prefaced his remarks by acknowledging, "When someone gets fired and they tell you why, you're going to take it with a boulder sized grain of salt." Still, it's rare to get an unvarnished opinion from a TV creator who doesn't shy away from telling it like it is (or how he sees it).