LINKIN' CASE: DEAD AIR

As soon as the show was announced, it was O'Bvious that AMC's 'The Walking Dead' would have to go to its own TV dimension. It couldn't even be allowed in any of the previously established alternate dimensions like the ones for '24', 'The West Wing', and 'Commander-In-Chief' - not unless you wanted to kill off most of their characters.

Or turn them into zombies.

Save for a handful of survivors, that's what has happened in the world of 'The Walking Dead'. But now, at least 'The Walking Dead' has another show which can share its zombie TV dimension of Earth Prime-Time/zombie.

'Dead Set' was a five-part mini-series that told the story of the zombie apocalypse which occurred while Sheriff Lincoln was unconscious at the hospital - but on the other side of the Atlantic. It first aired in Great Britain back in 2008 and finally was broadcast here as a strip, each weeknight leading up to Halloween.

'Dead Set' showed what happened when the zombies over-ran the 'Big Brother' studio on Eviction Night, with the resident contestants unaware of the situation. (As is usual with any of the Toobworld dimensions, a "reality" show like 'Big Brother' (in this case, the UK version) is considered a TV show there as well.)

Best part of all, we got to see the elegant Davina McCall, host of the show, get bitten and turn into a zombie. It was a nice illustration of the fact that nobody would be safe in a zombie attack. ("Zombieland" showed that as well with their celebrity zombie cameo.....)
In this dimension, Charlie Sheen's naked, drunken rampage in the Plaza Hotel could have been played out in this dimension as the transformation of the actor's televersion into a zombie.

Past contestants of the British 'Big Brother' were on hand in the guest lounge, playing themselves, since it was Eviction Night. So most of them have zombie televersions as well (unless they just ended up as snacks for the undead.) I didn't recognize any of them, but I wouldn't know any of the contestants from the American 'Big Brother' shows either.

'The Walking Dead' premiered on AMC on Halloween this year. But 'Dead Set' first aired in 2008. Normally this date would take precedence on the Toobworld timeline, but we have a way to "re-jigger" it so that both shows took place at the same time.

Since both shows take place in an alternate TV dimension, we don't have to adhere to any particular timeline. So 'The Walking Dead' could be happening "now", while 'Dead Set' - like some sci-fi shows - was set in its future.

Zombies don't constitute a large genre in TV, so its not likely there will be many more shows joining 'The Walking Dead' and 'Dead Set' in Earth Prime-Time/zombie. I was toying with the idea that I could toss over the apocalyptic sitcom 'Whoops' and "Time Enough At Last" from 'The Twilight Zone' (since radiation is sometimes given as the root cause of zombie-ism). But I decided to leave them in a TV dimension ravaged by limited nuclear armageddon (throwing in "The Day After" with them.) That's a TV dimension that has a "better" chance of gaining new shows.

One last point - we can't poach "The Living Dead" movies of George Romero from the "Cineverse" to fill out this world. AT one point in 'Dead Set', one of the 'Big Brother' housemates shuffles along the floor and say's "They're coming to get you, Barbara!"

This was a classic line from the first movie, "The Night Of The Living Dead", which means this was a movie reference for them as well.

Brrrraaaaaiiiiinnnnnsssss........