Greg Nicotero Discusses How Long The Walking Dead Will Last

Ahead of The Walking Dead's Season 7 premiere, AMC announced the hit zombie series will continue for an eighth season in 2017.

The news came as no surprise to longtime fans of the series given the fact that each episode averages a total audience of over 12 million people. However, seven years into a TV series, holding onto and often building on an audience in the way The Walking Dead does is extremely uncommon. In fact, most shows can hardly make it out of their premiere season.

Speaking to The Walking Dead executive producer and visual effects master Greg Nicotero, ComicBook.com has learned why the show sees so much success. It is due entirely to the enthusiastic cast and crew of the AMC series.

"We feel like we have an obligation to our fans and it's a really great feeling to know that people want us to take them on this journey," Nicotero said. "That's what we were saying about the finale before, that some people were a bit upset about it. It's like, you know, that's the story that we want to tell. That's the journey that we want to take people on."

At this point, fans are following the cast and crew beyond Sunday nights each fall and spring. Lines crowd comic conventions all year long to get a glimpse of the show's biggest names. It's the cast and the characters whom they play which keep the fans coming back week in and week out.

"People really love being on this journey and that's important and it's exciting to be seven years in, now eight, to be able to continue to tell our story and have people want to know what's going to happen next," Nicotero said. "It's the greatest gift you can give any storyteller. Which is to say yeah we want to know what happens next. It's great. I'm proud and delighted to be able to continue to tell this story because we've got a lot more story to tell."

Not a single drop of excitement or enthusiasm has been lost by the team working diligently in Senoia, Georgia. As it would turn out, it's the team's passiong which keeps the show going and will continue to do so in the coming years.

"We still show up every day like it's day one," Nicotero said. "I think that is a tribute to every single person on this crew to be able to show up to work as if it's their first day with the same level of commitment and enthusiasm. Listen, it's been a tough season. Going through what we we've gone through and feeling that pressure to make sure that we are paying tribute to our actors and paying tribute to the fans and continuing to give them a story that they like. It's not easy. It's definitely not easy."

The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season on October 23 ar 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.