For the last nine years, few shows on TV have been more thoroughly—or successfully—associated with the state of Georgia than AMC’s The Walking Dead, which not only films in the state, but also takes place in or around it, showcasing its lush wildlife, beautiful landscapes, and welcoming natural sounds:
But now, that long-running partnership is being threatened by a force far more insidious than undead hordes or Jeffrey Dean Morgan doing his best “Ben from Lost” impression: Right-wing lawmakers attempting to legislate women’s bodies. Per Forbes, AMC has now added its name to the list of entertainment producers—including Disney and Netflix—who are talking about leaving the state if its recently passed anti-abortion law goes into effect. (The law—which bans abortions after the six-week mark, but is somehow, depressingly, only like the fifth-most-repressive measure passed in the region in recent months—isn’t supposed to be enforceable until next year, although since it actually mostly exists to provoke a fight in the Supreme Court, the situation is still resoundingly grim.) Here’s an AMC spokesperson:
If this highly restrictive legislation goes into effect, we will reevaluate our activity in Georgia. Similar bills — some even more restrictive — have passed in multiple states and have been challenged. This is likely to be a long and complicated fight and we are watching it all very closely
And while The Walking Dead is no longer the ratings or cultural juggernaut it once was, it’s still one of the most prominent shows to bear the Made In Georgia tag, and it’s hard to imagine what a blow losing characters like Rick, Glenn, or Carl—wait, what? Really?! God, they go through these people like Kleenex, huh?
Anyway, it’s hard to imagine what a blow losing characters like Darryl and Carol will be for the state’s image as a TV and film production hub could be.