David Zabel Signs AMC Deal, Develops Netflix Drama

David Zabel has locked in his next act, staying with AMC Studios while setting a new cop drama on a development track at Netflix.

The move lands as The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon heads toward its fourth and final season, a key moment for both Zabel and AMC. He serves as executive producer and showrunner on the series, and the new overall deal signals that AMC wants to keep one of its top creative figures close even as that chapter winds down.

The agreement keeps David Zabel in AMC’s orbit while opening a new lane at Netflix with a gritty police drama in development.

Reports indicate the AMC pact covers broader future work with the studio, which produces the The Walking Dead franchise. At the same time, sources suggest Zabel has sold a gritty cop drama to Netflix, giving him a foothold at a rival platform without severing his ties to AMC. That split-screen arrangement reflects how top showrunners now move: they deepen studio relationships while building projects across the streaming landscape.

For AMC, the deal helps preserve continuity as one of its biggest franchise extensions approaches the finish line. For Netflix, the development buy adds an experienced television hand with franchise credentials and current momentum. The arrangement does not reveal much yet about the new drama, but it does show that Zabel remains in demand at a time when studios and streamers compete hard for proven creators.

What comes next matters on two fronts. AMC now has a formal path to continue working with Zabel after Daryl Dixon ends, while Netflix will decide whether his cop drama moves beyond development. Those decisions will shape where one established showrunner lands in the post-franchise phase of his career—and they offer an early read on how aggressively studios and streamers plan to lock down experienced creators in a crowded market.