We’ve known for quite some time that Fear the Walking Dead—the upcoming Walking Dead spin-off—would be “very different” from AMC’s original smash-hit series. But now thanks to a new interview with creator Robert Kirkman we know a few more details on where those differences lie. The answer? This zombie show is going to be about heart, not brains.

Kirkman explained to Vulture that The Walking Dead fans looking for the over-the-top violence and gruesome zombie special effects they’ve come to know and love may be in for a bit of a disappointment with Fear the Walking Dead. Love and family, not guts and gore, are the focus here. Kirkman says that the relationship between the protagonists Madison (Kim Dickens) and Travis (Cliff Curtis) is the core of the show:

All the intricacies and struggles that come from that family dynamic, and setting it against the fall of civilization in the face of the zombie apocalypse, just makes things that much more interesting. That’s one of the many things that allows these two shows to exist together without any kind of overlap. One of the things I’m really excited about is these are two characters that are very much in love. Too often, cable television shows deal with the breakdown in relationships and infidelity and people not getting along and people getting torn apart. This is a show that’s pretty much about two people that are a team, first and foremost — they back each other up, they respect each other, they love each other.

In other words, The Walking Dead creator clearly wanted something that was a 180 from the original, and making a functional, close-knit relationship the focus is certainly a way to achieve that. It’s not that The Walking Dead is completely devoid of emotional beats. Viewers have always responded to some of the more heartfelt moments like the Glen and Maggie romance or Carol’s recent reunion with the group. But those scenes are sprinkled sparingly throughout the series, which seems constantly preoccupied with upping the stakes, gore, and horror. There’s a reason (outside the considerable charisma of Norman Reedus) that the laconic hick with a crossbow is the most popular character on the show.

Fear the Walking Dead, on the other hand, will be pretty sparing when it comes to gore. Memorable moments like this . . .