The Walking Dead is slated to return for its seventh season Oct. 23, a mark many television showrunners never even dream of reaching. But in the eyes of AMC executives, the zombie drama hasn’t nearly come close to running its course.
During Goldman Sachs annual Communacopia Conference Wednesday, AMC Network President and CEO Josh Sapan revealed that he thinks the show has the potential to run for as long as Star Trek has. Of the zombie series, he said, it “has incredible long life left in it,” and could continue to run for “many, many more years.”
“[Star Trek] came and went three times,” he added, according to The Wrap. “We do think that we have a franchise [in The Walking Dead] that is one of the rare franchises that you occasionally come across in what we do for a living.”
Given that Star Trek just celebrated its 50th anniversary, TWD has a lot of catching up to do.
Read more at TheWrap.com.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Your Vote Is Safe
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- How the Electoral College Actually Works
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- Column: Fear and Hoping in Ohio
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com