So why does a zombie TV show refuse to mention zombies? According to creator Robert Kirkman, the reason is simply because the show is set in a world where zombies never existed in fiction.

It is simple; zombie fiction doesn't exist in TWDU. In a 2024 interview with Conan O'Brien, Kirkman explained why the universe avoids the term zombie. When he created the world of The Walking Dead for the comics, he did so with the understanding that no one in this world has ever seen a zombie movie.