David Madden Named President of Original Programming, AMC

David Madden has officially been named president of original programming for AMC, SundanceTV, and AMC Studios. He belatedly replaces Joel Stillerman, who bailed for Hulu in May.

The veteran TV executive joins AMC from Fox, where Madden was president of entertainment for the broadcast network since 2014. He’ll start later this month in AMC’s Los Angeles office.

We knew this was coming, by the way, and as previously announced, Michael Thorn has replaced Madden at Fox.

Also Read: David Madden to Leave Fox for AMC, Michael Thorn Named New Broadcast Entertainment President

“David Madden is a terrific, thoughtful person and a proven, tested executive. He’s known broadly not just for his leadership but also for developing and producing original programming alongside some of our industry’s most outstanding talent,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios.

“His rare and noteworthy success in this industry speaks for itself. He will have an immediate impact across our AMC and SundanceTV senior management team and, notably, our AMC Studios business as it continues to play an increasingly significant role for our networks and well beyond,” he continued.

“It is exciting to add one of the key executives behind such iconic television series as ‘The Shield,’ ‘The Americans,’ ‘The Killing’ and so many others to a talented team that already helped build and nurture content as diverse and successful as ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Into the Badlands,’ ‘Top of the Lake’ and Talking Dead,’ to name a few. I look forward to working with David and his team to define our next chapter of bold, original storytelling.”

Also Read: 'Walking Dead' Producers Sue AMC, Accuse Network of Hoarding Profits

“While I’m enormously grateful for my 17 years at Fox and proud of everything we accomplished at the network and the cable studio, I just landed my dream job,” Madden added. “The opportunity to play a leadership role at networks like AMC and SundanceTV, which live at the very highest end of television content, and at a growing studio operation, is the culmination of everything I’ve done to date in my career and something I could not pass up. I’m proud to immediately inherit a roster of some of the most acclaimed and popular shows on television, and to endeavor to find and develop new ones with such a gifted group of executives, led by Charlie Collier, whom I have worked with and admired over the years. We have a chance to nurture the next generation of outstanding AMC and SundanceTV programming, while also building AMC Studios into a preeminent home for creative talent, a place that truly puts writers and their visions first, and a supplier of quality programming across our company and beyond it.”

Prior to running Fox’s broadcast network, Madden was president of Fox Television Studios, which developed and produced programming for a variety of broadcast and cable networks in the U.S. and internationally. In this role, he oversaw all of the studio’s scripted and unscripted programming, and the studio’s finance, operations, and marketing divisions.

'Walking Dead' Leaders Ranked, From Gregory to Maggie to Ezekiel

On "The Walking Dead," plenty have tried to lead, but few have been successful. Here we look back on all those who led others to safety -- or their graves.
Gene Page/AMC
14. Gregory (Alive) of the Hilltop Colony. Gregory no longer is in charge, thankfully -- he was maybe not the kind of leader anyone ever needed.
Gene Page/AMC
13. Deanna (Deceased) of Alexandria. Deanna helped keep Alexandria together early on. She was a great judge of character, but did not recognize the walker threat for what it was. She died after the walls of Alexandria fell, leaving the community to Rick.
Gene Page/AMC
12. Dawn (Deceased) of Grady Memorial Hospital. Dawn took charge of the hospital when her predecessor failed to keep people safe, but her practice of requiring forced labor in exchange for meds earned her no friends, and eventually led to her death.
Gene Page/AMC
11. Natania (Deceased) of Oceanside. Emotionally scarred by their brutal defeat at the hands of the Saviors -- after which Negan had every male above age 10 executed -- Natania sort of fell apart, like so many characters do, because of the trauma.
10. Gareth (Deceased) of Terminus. Gareth and his fellow Terminus residents promised weary travelers sanctuary, only to kill and eat them cannibal style. He became obsessed with getting revenge on Rick, eventually leading to his death at Rick's hands.
Gene Page/AMC
9. Hershel (Deceased) of The Farm. Hershel kept himself and his family safe on his farm during the early days of the outbreak, eventually offering shelter to Rick and his group. But Hershel believed that the walkers could be returned to human form, which proved a costly mistake.
Gene Page/AMC
8. Alpha Wolf (Deceased) of The Wolves. The Wolves were a savage group who killed anyone who had something they desired. The Alpha Wolf was a good killer, but his people were ultimately wild and undisciplined.
Gene Page/AMC
7. Joe (Deceased) of The Claimers. Joe and his group lived as nomads, taking what they want when they want. He lived by a simple code of justice, but did not bat an eye when he or his people needed to kill. He underestimated Rick, Daryl, and Michonne, getting every Claimer killed.
Gene Page/AMC
6. The Governor (Deceased) of Woodbury, Martinez Camp. The Governor was all charm and class on the outside, but his inner workings were that of a cold blooded killer. After the citizens of Woodbury abandoned him for Rick, he eventually took over another camp, and subsequently led them to their deaths at the prison.
Gene Page/AMC
5. Jadis (Alive) of The Scavengers. With all of her people dead now, Jadis is not actually a leader anymore. But when she was a leader, by "Walking Dead" standards Jadis was extremely reasonable for somebody who leads a group of people who live in a junkyard. And making Rick do gladiator fights with armored walkers was pretty funny.
AMC
4. Negan (Alive) of The Saviors. Also no longer a leader, but when he was Negan ruled The Saviors through a combination of charm and savagery. He's fun to watch!
Gene Page/AMC
3. Maggie (Alive) of the Hilltop Colony. Obviously, she's much better as the boss of the Hilltop than Gregory ever was, and her pragmatism is currently a pretty nice contrast to the idealism of Rick post-Carl.
2. Rick Grimes (Alive) of Alexandria. Rick is a natural leader who has guided his group through hell and back. He has led them through countless battles with the both the living and the dead is is still standing to tell the tale. But for how much longer?
Gene Page/AMC
1. King Ezekiel (Alive) of The Kingdom. His kingdom is gone thanks to the Saviors, but his legacy is still pretty solid. He kept that place going as long as he possibly could have, and he wasn't a coward when it came time to choose sides in the war with the Saviors.
Gene Page/AMC

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TheWrap looks back at the heroic and villainous leaders on the hit AMC series

On "The Walking Dead," plenty have tried to lead, but few have been successful. Here we look back on all those who led others to safety -- or their graves.

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'Walking Dead' Leaders Ranked, From Gregory to Maggie to Ezekiel

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