A Kinder, Gentler 'Walking Dead'?

There are mixed messages coming from the leadership of The Walking Dead concerning the level of violence in upcoming episodes of the series. One executive producer says the violence is going to be toned down, but another says that's not true.

EP Gale Anne Hurd told an audience at the National Association of Television Program Executives conference last week that the producers made adjustments after the outrageously gory premiere episode of season seven preceded a big ratings drop for the series.

"We were able to look at the feedback on the level of violence,” she said during a panel. “We did tone it down for episodes we were still filming for later on in the season."

EP Greg Nicotero, however, seemed to contradict Hurd in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"I don’t think we would ever edit ourselves," he said. "I don’t think we’ll ever pull ourselves back."

Showrunner Scott Gimple tried to explain the apparent disparity.

"The violence in the premiere was for a specific narrative purpose," he said. "If we’re ever going to see something that pronounced, there needs to be a specific narrative purpose for it."

After pulling in near-record ratings with its season-seven premiere, the series saw a steady ratings decline until it reached four-year lows near the end of the season's first half. The second half of season seven begins on February 12.