‘The Walking Dead’ Producer: Emmys Need To Nominate Actors, Writers For Season 5 Finale

While The Walking Dead has already won two Primetime Emmy awards for its use of prosthetics and makeup, and the series has been previously nominated for visual effects and sound, none of the actors, writers, or directors involved have been recognized for their work by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Producer Greg Nicotero feels that needs to change.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, the Walking Dead Season 5 finale, titled “Conquer,” has been extended to 90 minutes rather than having it run at its normal hour-long format. At the time of the report, it was uncertain why the episode was going to be longer than normal. But now, Nicotero, who also served as director for “Conquer,” told Yahoo! TV the reason why the finale is longer than previous Walking Dead episodes.

“When we started shooting the episode, the script was long. When I started editing, I kind of said to Scott [Gimple], ‘I want to make sure that we deliver the greatest episode that we can, and the cut’s going to come in long. I think that we should just go to the network and propose that we do an hour-and-a-half finale, and see how that idea lands.’ Everybody was on board.”

Nicotero has served as the director of four episodes this season of The Walking Dead. While he has liked all of them, he feels that “Conquer” is his favorite.

“With each of the episodes I’ve shot this season, I keep thinking, ‘Wow, this is the best episode I’ve ever done.’ Then I do another one. I’m like, ‘I kind of like this one.’ They’re all really different, and I get chills when I watch [the finale]. I’m so proud of it. It’s such a powerhouse and the performances are just spot-on. Everybody’s firing on all cylinders.”

With The Walking Dead having been snubbed by the Emmys in the acting and writing departments, Nicotero said “Conquer” may change that.

“When Emmy time comes along, if people don’t finally turn around and recognize the actors and the writers, then there’s something seriously flawed with the system, because I don’t think that we’ve told more dramatic and emotional stories on the series as of yet.”

Nicotero isn’t the only person praising the season finale of The Walking Dead. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Norman Reedus noted that the episode is emotional.

“Bring your Kleenex, and you’ll be screaming at your television.”

The Season 5 finale of The Walking Dead airs March 29 at 9 p.m. on AMC.

[Image credit: AMC via Forbes]