TWD's James Allen McCune Said The Show Is Different From The Comic (In A Good Way)

"The Walking Dead" star James Allen McCune appears as Jimmy in Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic television series. It wasn't lost on the actor that the show took liberties with the source material. For example, one of the glaring differences during Jimmy's short tenure was that Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) killed Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), but in the comics, it was Carl (Chandler Riggs) who put down Rick's old friend to protect his dad. That kind of bold creativity and originality appealed to McCune. He thinks the show did a good job of differentiating the AMC series from writer Robert Kirkman and artists Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard's comic.

"Well, there are comic purists who will bash the show for changing so much, but I think it's brilliant," McCune wrote in a 2012 AMA discussion on Reddit as u/JMjustme. "We try very hard to keep the comics and the TV show separately entertaining."

"Some people like the comics, and some people like the TV show more," McCune continued. "But no matter what, people love 'The Walking Dead.' I'm personally really amazed with the direction the show has taken." Even though "The Walking Dead" deviated from many of the comics' storylines over the years, the show persevered for 11 seasons.

James McCune appreciated how the show kept the fans on their toes by tweaking the stories and characters. One of the biggest twists came when Rick (Lincoln) was seemingly killed off, at least in the eyes of his friends, during Season 9, Episode 5, "What Comes After." The group doesn't know Rick is alive, but Andrew Lincoln's departure necessitated the character's exit. True, Rick does die in the source material, but not until the next-to-the-last issue of the series. Meanwhile, the show continued without its primary protagonist for almost three seasons.

"I think it's really intelligent because I think if you watch enough of this, having read all of the comics, you'll get bored with always knowing what's around the corner every time," McCune wrote in the same Reddit AMA. McCune also remarked that, in his opinion, the show's success lay in the decision to avoid creating a panel-by-panel remake of the comics.

"Giving the story little unexpected twists and turns keeps the content really fresh," McCune continues. "It's a hell of a lot more interesting to watch, and if people knew the answer to the cliffhangers ... at the end of each episode, everyone would stop watching really quickly." While Jimmy dies in Season 2, Episode 13, "Beside the Dying Fire," McCune returns to the show during the aforementioned "What Comes After."