A new interview with The Walking Dead‘s Glen Mazarra and Robert Kirkman reveal tantalizing details about the making of the show and how they are dealing with the behind-the-scenes aspects now that former showrunner Frank Darabont is long gone.

TV Guide released the lengthy report this morning. In it, we learn that emphasis on Rick’s leadership role will be added to the story:

“It’s definitely been a difficult process, losing Frank the way we have,” Kirkman tells TVGuide.com. “While Frank was the guy initially who seemed to understand The Walking Dead more than anyone else, we’ve been lucky to be able to get Glen to step into his shoes. … He was there working with Frank and I from the very beginning of this season. So it has been a pretty smooth transition. I feel like the show is in a good place.

“It’s a very interesting behind-the-scenes problem, but I am happy to report that it’s going to stay very much behind the scenes,” Kirkman continues. “When you’re actually sitting down watching an episode, you’re not going to notice that anything has changed at all.”

Mazarra says his first order of business was to push the show’s main character, Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) even more front and center. “I wanted to really hang the show on our central hero,” he says. “Rick is a man who is a natural-born leader, but who is going through a crisis of faith and has unbelievable circumstances facing him. Rick’s problem is that he needs to lead his band to safety, and the truth is, there really is no safe place in this world.”

Adds Kirkman: “Rick’s going to find out if he’s capable of leading these people. Are the decisions he makes the right decisions? This is something that is really weighing on him at the very beginning of the season.”