AMC Orders The Son & Sets Fear the Walking Dead Return

PASADENA: AMC has given a straight-to-series order to the 10×1-hour series The Son, an AMC Studios and Sonar Entertainment title expected to debut in 2017, while also announcing the premiere dates for a number of originals.

Fear the Walking Dead will return April 10 for a 15-episode run to be split into two parts: the first seven episodes will air in spring while the other chapters will broadcast sometime later in the year. Additionally, the chat show Talking Dead, hosted by Chris Hardwick, will air immediately after each episode Sunday nights.

Launching a new night for AMC originals is the six-part miniseries event The Night Manager, premiering on Tuesday, April 19. It is an interpretation of John le Carré’s espionage drama of the same name. TURN: Washington’s Spies, meanwhile, premieres its third season on Monday, April 25.

The Son will be written and executive produced by Meyer, Lee Shipman, Brian McGreevy and showrunner Kevin Murphy (Defiance). Jenna Glazier will produce for Sonar Entertainment. AMC has ordered 10 one-hour episodes, with an expected premiere date in 2017.

“Philipp Meyer’s epic novel The Son is storytelling at its finest, chronicling the engrossing lives of a Texan family over six generations and serving as an incredible foundation on which to build an equally gripping television series,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “We’re looking forward to partnering with Philipp and the terrific team behind The Son to bring this beloved story to life.”

AMC also announced Feed the Beast (previously announced as Broke) will begin production in New York City in February 2016. A co-production between AMC Studios and Lionsgate, the series is based on the Danish series Bankerot and will be adapted by writer/showrunner Clyde Phillips (Dexter, Nurse Jackie), who also serves as executive producer. Feed the Beast is a drama about two best friends who take one last shot at their dream of opening a restaurant. The 10 one-hour episodes are set to premiere in May 2016.

Feed the Beast is about best friends who, after enduring a life-altering tragedy, decide to open a fine dining restaurant in the Bronx,” said Phillips. “But at its core, the show is about family and friendship, fatherhood and food, honesty and intimacy. I’m excited to be shooting Feed the Beast in the Bronx, the gritty, last frontier of New York’s five boroughs and a location that we’re treating as a main character of the show. Like so much of New York, the Bronx is going through a transition that can be exciting, painful and offers a very rich environment for this authentic, character-driven drama.”