Chris Hardwick’s ‘Talking Dead’ Return Being Pre-Taped Instead of Airing Live

Live Walking Dead-centric aftershow Talking Dead will be pre-taped for all but the last episode of Fear The Walking Dead Season 4B.

The show, which typically airs live immediately following episodes of The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, will instead be filmed in advance on three weekdays with a double-taping each day. Tonight’s return episode follows the Fear mid-season premiere and will be pre-recorded at 2:00 PM.

Audience casting service 1iota lists tapings for Sunday, August 12, a double taping on Wednesday, August 15 at 9:00 AM, and another double taping on Tuesday, August 28 at noon. Only the season finale will air live on Sunday, September 30.

Talking Dead famously fields questions from viewers who have the opportunity to call in to the show via phone number 1-855-DEAD-LIVE. Each episode features fan-submitted comments published on Facebook and Twitter during first-run episodes and conducts an interactive poll — aspects that will now be excised as result of the episode shooting in advance.

AMC reinstated longtime host Hardwick after a month-long investigation into allegations made against the host and comedian by ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra, who claimed Hardwick committed emotional and sexual abuse against her. The actress further claimed she subsequently suffered career blacklisting after her three-year relationship with Hardwick.

“Following a comprehensive assessment by AMC, working with Ivy Kagan Bierman of the firm Loeb & Loeb, who has considerable experience in this area, Chris Hardwick will return to AMC as the host of Talking Dead and Talking with Chris Hardwick,” AMC Networks said in a statement.

“We take these matters very seriously and given the information available to us after a very careful review, including interviews with numerous individuals, we believe returning Chris to work is the appropriate step.”

Hardwick stepped aside from panel hosting duties at San Diego Comic-Con late last month, where he was to host panels for both Walking Dead shows. Frequent Talking Dead couch guest Yvette Nicole Brown assumed Hardwick’s Comic-Con duties and acted as interim host on The Walking Dead Season Nine preview special aired last Sunday.

A large subset of fans previously lobbied for Hardwick’s return to the show, declaring they would boycott AMC and Talking Dead unless Hardwick was re-hired as host. The Wrap reported just two days ago a female Talking Dead executive producer and a “handful” of crew quit the chat show following Hardwick’s reinstatement.

Talking Dead returns tonight following the mid-season 4 premiere of Fear The Walking Dead with guests Yvette Nicole Brown, Danay García (Luciana) and Maggie Grace (Althea).