Grrr! No Fear The Walking Dead this week :(

[Neil]

...only just realised no episode this week

[shootemindehead]

Fck sake. Why?

[MinionZombie]

"Labor" Day weekend in America, I think. Does that extend into a Monday? If not, why reschedule FTWD? It's an annoying gap, particularly only two episodes in. So many American shows seem to get knocked around by public holidays and sporting events, it's crazy (e.g. you look at the air dates for shows like The Simpsons, or The Big Bang Theory, etc with numerous gaps throughout the run - 6 months worth of episodes stretched thin over 9 months FFS). While major football matches bugger up schedules on, say, ITV in the UK, the match doesn't affect what's airing on other channels really, and oftentimes a Bank Holiday is used as an anchor to show something special - to put something on specifically, not delay.

[bassman]

I've never heard of a show skipping a week for labor day. Maybe it has more to do with amc's plan to have ftwd lead into the marathon of twd, which will lead into season 6 of twd and their annual fear fest marathon for Halloween?

[rongravy]

Last night I had my shit planned around sitting down and vegging out, then chowing down, during a brand spanking new episode of FtWD. I even left the lake and some BBQ action early to properly prepare myself. Guess I should've actually watched the commercial they had earlier for the "Marathon" they blathered on about. Two episodes on repeat hardly constitutes a marathon... When I saw what I thought was the new episode starting at 7:30, I knew something was up. I hit the guide button on the remote, and saw it was the first one again. Boo, AMC. Boooooooooooooooooooooooo. Either way, I chomped a whole huge rack of pork ribs by myself, slathered in BBQ sauce. I win.

[shootemindehead]

Hang on. They skipped an episode because of a long weekend? WTF? American TV baffles me sometimes, it really does.

[sandrock74]

They should have started the show a week later so we wouldn't have an off week. Poor planning in my opinion.

[AcesandEights]

I knew it was an off week, but, damn, that didn't make it any easier.

[MinionZombie]

I've never heard of a show skipping a week for labor day. Maybe it has more to do with amc's plan to have ftwd lead into the marathon of twd, which will lead into season 6 of twd and their annual fear fest marathon for Halloween? They should have started the show a week later so we wouldn't have an off week. Poor planning in my opinion. Exactly! If Labor Day has nothing to do with it, as could be the case, then why on earth didn't they just wait a single weeek to start the show? If it is because of Labor Day, then WTF?!

[kidgloves]

Maybe it's also a ratings thing. Leave people hanging, then come back strong after the hype has everyone gagging for more

[MinionZombie]

Maybe it's also a ratings thing. Leave people hanging, then come back strong after the hype has everyone gagging for more Hmmm ... I'd have thought that's a pretty risky thing - a brand new show, only two episodes in, and have a week off to 'get people wanting'? I'd have thought it would just as easily run the risk of harming the ratings. You've got to get people hooked, so having a week off only two episodes in ... you've not quite got them hooked, necessarily. We're hooked, sure, but not everyone quite possibly. It's a possibility, but to me it'd be too risky a strategy ... and kind of a strange one.

[kidgloves]

Hmmm ... I'd have thought that's a pretty risky thing - a brand new show, only two episodes in, and have a week off to 'get people wanting'? I'd have thought it would just as easily run the risk of harming the ratings. You've got to get people hooked, so having a week off only two episodes in ... you've not quite got them hooked, necessarily. We're hooked, sure, but not everyone quite possibly. It's a possibility, but to me it'd be too risky a strategy ... and kind of a strange one. Good points as always but the Christmas break hasn't hurt the main show has it. IIRC the mid season premiere always has good ratings compared to a normal episode of TWD. The core audience for FTWD will be TWD fans so their used to it. Not so risky really

[MinionZombie]

Good points as always but the Christmas break hasn't hurt the main show has it. IIRC the mid season premiere always has good ratings compared to a normal episode of TWD. The core audience for FTWD will be TWD fans so their used to it. Not so risky really A fair point, but when TWD breaks up it's after a solid 8 episode run - and each half of a full season has its own 'mini arc', so the mid-season finale draws a particular story to a close. There's a satisfying conclusion to hold us over the Christmas break, which is plenty busy with lots of distractions (by the time all that hooplah is over it's nearly time for more TWD, which is always a nice feeling). A random week off only two episodes in to FTWD feels just downright stupid - a nuisance, an annoyance, at best - at worst it could adversely affect the ratings, but I hope it doesn't have too much of an impact ... it's probably unlikely to affect them badly, but I'd also say that - if a deliberate move by AMC - I don't see how it would have any real positive impact on already very good ratings either. On the other hand, in the vacuum left by no episode this week, we've at least got something to talk about!

[Neil]

...and we've got about 30mins of the airplane episode of Fear The Walking Dead being aired in advert breaks between TWD episodes? Is that right?

[MinionZombie]

...and we've got about 30mins of the airplane episode of Fear The Walking Dead being aired in advert breaks between TWD episodes? Is that right? I did read that, yes ... and it baffled me! Wouldn't AMC want the advertising revenue?! Wouldn't it make more sense to show the special in one go either before or after the episode of TWD itself, rather than scattered about between the acts?