ATLANTA—As The Walking Dead returns to AMC for the second half of its third season, writers for the popular zombie drama told reporters Monday they are beginning to regret naming absolutely all of the characters in the series “Rick.” “When we started working on that first episode, there were just a few characters, so we figured it didn’t really matter what we called them,” said showrunner Glen Mazzara, whose writing team has since expanded the show’s ensemble cast to more than 50 unique roles, including protagonist Rick Grimes, fan favorite Rick Dixon, and a mysterious, shadowy figure known only within the show’s universe as “Rick.” “As it stands, we’re juggling three seasons’ worth of characters—men, women, children, and even zombies—all of whom are referred to as ‘Rick,’ generally without a last name. Yes, it’s confusing, but what are we supposed to do at this point? Completely change the names of all the show’s characters?” Despite the show’s convoluted naming system, AMC executives have confirmed that Sunday’s midseason premiere—in which Rick and Rick rescue Rick while Rick comes to terms with his guilt over Rick’s death—garnered a record 12.3 million viewers.

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