The Walking Dead': Producer says the tampil could last 12 seasons 

\'The Walking Dead\': Producer says the show could last 12 seasons

Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in "The Walking Dead," the most popular show in cable history.

Troy L. Smith, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Troy L. Smith, Northeast Ohio Media Group The Plain Dealer

on June 10, 2014 at 11:05 AM, updated June 10, 2014 at 11:08 AM

CLEVLEAND, Ohio – "The Walking Dead" is gearing up for its fifth season, which will premiere in October. No one\'s shocked that the show has made it this far, given its extraordinary ratings. However, fans may be surprised to learn that "The Walking Dead" may not even be at its halfway point.

During a Producers Guild of America "Produced By" panel held Sunday, David Alpert, producer on "The Walking Dead," said the show already has plans for Seasons 10, 11 and 12 (Say what!?).

IndieWire reported the news Monday, quoting Alpert as saying the following:

"I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what Season 10 is gonna be. We know where Season 11 and 12... we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we\'re lucky enough to get there."

Obviously, all of this depends on AMC\'s willingness to keep the show going and the actors\' willingness to remain on board.

However, given the records the show continues to set, it\'s not out of the question that AMC would want to hold onto its flagship series for as long as possible. The showrunners also have Robert Kirkman\'s comic book to follow, which doesn\'t seem to be going anywhere and is far ahead of the series plot-wise.

Still, 12 seasons is a long time. "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad," arguably the two greatest TV dramas of all-time, lasted just five seasons, which seems like the perfect length for a TV drama series these days.

So what do you think? Do you envision "The Walking Dead" lasting 12 seasons or should the show call it quits sooner rather than later?

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