AMC Looks To Develop Series Momentum
Net Considers Four Shows To Build On ‘Mad Men’ Success
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 12/21/2007 5:59:00 AM
AMC, having received critical acclaim for vintage advertising show Mad Menand poised to launch Breaking Bad next month, is looking to continue its original series momentum with new shows in development.
The network, which began to complement its slate of theatricals in 2006 with western miniseries Broken Trail, which set network ratings marks and won four Emmys, is mining that genre again with a couple of the shows it has in development.
Fort Smith, written by Robert Cochran (24), comes in the wake of the Civil War and follows Isiah Parker and his posse who police the Five Points, a lawless territory comprised of five different Indian tribes.
In an untitled entry written by Alison Anders (Things Behind the Sun, Gas Food Lodging) and Terry Graham, the series centers on Quanah Parker, the leader of the Comanches, and their fight against the U.S. Army for the right to their land.
Elsewhere, AMC is developing Uninvited Guest, a series that tracks a character hampered by his uncontrollable multiple personality disorder. The show is penned by Harley Peyton (Less Than Zero, Keys to Tulsa) and executive-produced by Peter Guber and Elizabeth Stephens of Mandalay Entertainment.
As for Greenfields, which comes to AMC from playwright Nicky Silver (Raised in Captivity, Pterodactyls), the series follows a psychiatrist that breaks a patient out of jail and then two pose like father and son as they’re on the lam.
“AMC is committed to creating high quality scripted content,” said vice president of scripted series and miniseries Christina Wayne in a statement. “With the success of both Broken Trail and Mad Men, it is clear that our original programming strategy is resonating within the industry and with our audience. We look forward to premiering our latest series Breaking Bad this January and will continue to build on the network’s programming momentum with these new series in development.”
Created by Vince Gilligan (X-Files) Breaking Bad, set to debut Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), examines the a desperate man (Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle), who turns to a life of crime to secure his family’s financial future.
Mad Men, from The Sopranos’ executive producer Matt Weiner has earned two Golden Globe nominations for best dramatic television series and for Jon Hamm as best leader actor in a TV drama.
The series has also garnered three nods from the Writers Guild Association for best dramatic series, best new series and best episodic drama. It also copped a pair of Screen Actors Guild nominations: outstanding performance by an ensemble and one for Hamm as outstanding performance by a male actor in a TV series.
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