The Walking Dead is, by far, the most popular TV show on television today. Viewers flock in the millions to watch Rick Grimes and company kill zombies and get out of tough and dangerous positions. While the TV show is bleak and grim, its cast and crew seem like a lot of fun to be around. Here are 10 fun facts about The Walking Dead.
1. Not one single person on The Walking Dead has said the word “Zombie” throughout its five season. Instead, the characters use the words “walkers,” “biters,” “roamers,” and “herds” to reference the walking dead. It’s also believed that zombie movies do not exist in the TV show and comic book’s universe.
2. The cast’s stunt doubles. Chandler Riggs’ stand-in and stunt double is a 31-year-old woman named Ashley.
3. Merle and Daryl Dixon were created for the TV show. While Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel was created seven years before the TV series premiered, its creators and showrunner Frank Darabont wanted to create new characters that exist solely for television. In fact, Norman Reedus originally auditioned for the Merle Dixon role and was rejected. However, the producers like him so much that they created his own character.
4. T-Dog’s real name is Theodore Douglas. T-Dog, played by IronE Singleton, was only supposed to be in three episode in season one, but the character was so popular and likeable that the producers extended him for another three season.
5. Merle Dixon was almost arrested in real-life. While shooting during season one, bystanders called the police on Michael Rooker, who played Merle, when they simply saw a crazed looking man on a rooftop with a sniper rifle. The police showed up to the scene in full SWAT apparel without any knowledge that a TV show was being filmed.
6. Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead take place in the same universe. During season one, Glenn steals a Dodge Challenger, which looks exactly like the one that belonged to Walter, Jr. on Breaking Bad. In season two, Daryl says his brother Merle was a drug dealer before the zombie apocalypse. When a baggie of drugs is shown, you can clearly see Walter White’s Blue Sky meth. In season four, Daryl also described Merle’s supplier as a “janky little white guy,” which might be a reference to Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman.
7. Some of the principal cast is British. Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), David Morrissey (The Governor), and Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene) are all from the United Kingdom. Cohan was actually born in the United States, but lived in England for most of her life.
8. The Death Dinner. After a character is killed off the TV show, the remaining cast and crew throw the recently departed a special “death dinner” to celebrate the character and actor. This gives the whole production team the opportunity to say goodbye and a reason for past actors to come back and hang out with the cast and crew.
9. Humans vs. Zombies. When the cast goes on a lunch break during shooting, the human and zombies are separated to keep tensions high while filming.
10. During season one, Carl Grimes wears a t-shirt with the Science Dog logo on it. Science Dog is one of Robert Kirkman’s creations from the comic book “Invincible.”