AMC Bulks Up Programming Lineup

NEW YORK: There are a slew of new and returning series in place for AMC’s upcoming schedule, including the return of Breaking Bad in August, to be followed by a live companion talk show, Talking Bad.

Just as the network has done for its hit The Walking Dead with Talking Dead, AMC is giving the highly anticipated final eight episodes of Breaking Bad their own weekly half-hour special, Talking Bad. Breaking Bad and Talking Bad will debut on August 11, running at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., respectively. Talking Dead was also renewed for a third season, as was Comic Book Men. Freakshow was picked up for season two.

AMC also signed an overall deal for Rolin Jones (Boardwalk Empire, Smash) to be writing and executive producing projects specifically for the network.

There are a slew of scripted titles on the AMC development roster (all with working titles), including Ballistic City, about a former cop who is thrust into the criminal underworld of a city housed on a space ship; King, about the politics of segregation and civil rights in the South; and Ashland, set in a Kentucky mining town in the 1950s. White City is a drama that follows western diplomats and journalists living in Afghanistan. There is an untitled project from Mad Men‘s Davhi Waller that is about the New York auto industry in the 1920s. Another untitled project comes from Tim Lea (Flash Forward) and Anonymous Content (Winter’s Bone, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and is about a family that is nearly torn apart amidst the backdrop of a second American Revolution. The Wall is set in 1960s Berlin and is about an American businessman who becomes entangled in East-West espionage. 

AMC is continuing to build up its unscripted slate as well, with a number of projects in development (all with working titles). Majority Rules is a docu-style series that looks at America’s democratic process. All-Star Celebrity Bowling is a tongue-in-cheek format that features celebrities taking part in bowling competitions. Cancelled is a social experiment that tests how far people will go for fame. The network previously announced that it greenlit a pilot for Geek Out, which looks for the ultimate super-fan and emotionally connects them with their obsession.

There is a mix of new and returning shows premiering this spring and summer on AMC. Small Town Security heads into its second season on May 9, while the new unscripted competition series Showville, which features a small-town talent show, launches on May 23. This August sees the return of Breaking Bad, on August 11, along with the premiere of Low Winter Sun on the same night. Owner’s Manual, which tests the divide between those who read the owner‘s manual and those who do not, kicks off on August 15, the same night as the return of The Pitch.

“Six years ago at AMC, we set a goal to create premium television on basic cable and we began to develop and nurture shows that would set us apart,” said Charlie Collier, the president and general manager of AMC. “As we lay out the year ahead for advertisers at our 2013/14 Upfront, it is an honor to have such a breadth of development and programming to share and to be in business with such a high caliber of talent in front of and behind the camera.”