Are Zombies Running AMC Into the Ground?

While I was reading digital back issues of the comic book version of The Walking Dead over the Christmas break, AMC Networks was announcing that it will part ways with Glen Mazzara after Season 3 concludes. Mazarra has served as showrunner of the zombie-themed hit since Season 2.

AMC described the parting as "mutual" in a statement, but there's no escaping the pattern: Mazzara is out much like Frank Darabont before him. The difference is that we don't know what's behind Mazzara's departure from The Walking Dead. Darabont was fired, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In a two-video analysis of what went down, Sons of Anarchy creator and showrunner Kurt Sutter argued that there's a certain skillset and experience required to navigate the complex world of television production, and in losing Mazzara, AMC is soiling its reputation as a home for talented TV writers with top-notch ideas.

On balance, I agree. And not just because I'm a fan of great creators such as Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan, Mad Men's Matthew Weiner, and Steven Moffat of Doctor Who and Sherlock in the U.K. Creative interference is an issue for investors, too.

Think of Walt Disney. Do you really think Marvel's The Avengers would have performed as well as it did if Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige had writer/director Joss Whedon on a short leash? Great creators make great properties, and great properties produce mountains of moola.

To be fair, The Walking Dead's creator, comic book writer Robert Kirkman, is still involved in the show. What's troubling is that Mazzara, like Darabont, couldn't work with the powers that be -- whether that's Kirkman or AMC's front office -- in producing a hit show. Something's not right.

And yet I'm nowhere near ready to abandon AMC as a stock idea. Not when history shows that, even in turmoil, the network has a way of engaging its audience in ways evocative of Time Warner's HBO and CBS subsidiary Showtime. Just look at The Walking Dead; the show set ratings records after Darabont left.

But that doesn't mean creative interference won't take a toll at some point. Stay tuned to this stock, Fool. There's a lot at stake in 2013.

Make sure you start 2013 with a bang and get the inside scoop on what Motley Fool superinvestor David Gardner will be buying this year. He's crushed the market in his Stock Advisor and Rule Breakers portfolios for years, and now I invite you to a personal tour of his flagship stock picking service: Supernova. Just click here now for instant access.

The article Are Zombies Running AMC Into the Ground? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Time Warner and Walt Disney at the time of publication. Check out Tim's Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool owns shares of Walt Disney. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Walt Disney and AMC Networks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.