The three best networks on television are, in no particular order: FX, HBO, and AMC. Both have had a remarkable run of great series, although FX kind of muddied their waters with Russell Brand and Charlie Sheen, while HBO is determined to be the home to quality dramas and dramedies, even if they are sometimes dull (Enlightened) or, arguably, overwrought (Newsroom). AMC, on the other hand, had a sterling track record with Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. Then they gave us Rubicon, which was not terribly well received, but at least it was very AMC-like (and beloved by four people), The Killing (what should’ve been great show if it hadn’t been mismanaged by Veena Sud), and Hell on Wheels, another show befitting the AMC brand but that not everyone has gotten into.
However, AMC is now officially tanking the brand, going from great and potentially-great dramas to reality crap. Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men was just the beginning, followed by The Pitch, a decent enough reality show if you’re into the advertising industry. But pairing Small Town Security with Breaking Bad was like pairing a beautiful steak dinner with a bowl full of upchuck for dessert.
Unfortunately, it’s not getting better, as AMC veers further and further from the shows that put them on the map.
Indeed, while AMC is developing two potentially promising dramas — one about George Washington and spies during the Revolutionary War, and another about the computer industry in the 1980s — it’s also filling up on reality fare. In addition to renewing Comic Book Men and Small Town Security (GUH!), AMC is also launching Freakshow, a reality show that will follow a family behind a Venice Beach boardwalk freakshow attraction (sounds like a TLC program) and Immortalized, a reality competition series about taxidermists (sounds like a History Channel show). Add to that another reality competition, Owner’s Manual, which will pit two people against each other in a competition to see if it’s better to build with or without an owner’s manual, which sounds like another History channel show.
At least, AMC has seen fit to separate its drama from its reality programming, keeping the dramas on Sundays, and now launching all these reality shows in a Thursday night block. However, I think their brand would be much better off sticking exclusively to dramas. These reality shows will do little but dilute the once pristine reputation of the network.
(Source: THR)
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As far as I’m concerned the only brand names associated with the Walking Dead are Netflix and Bittorrent.
Dish Network Subscriber?
… although FX kind of muddied their waters with Russell Brand and Charlie Sheen…
Don’t forget that W. Kamau Bell show. Is it supposed to be funny? No idea.
The audience laughs like it’s supposed to be funny. So I think the intent is there.
If you dont laugh your racist or a republican. Thats what I got from it
Totally Biased is pretty good, it would be better if he got his sinus issue fixed.
Bell’s standup is decent but that show is just bad. I tried it a few times but it just didn’t get any better.
It sounds like a heavy handed poke at the Kardashians. “You like reality shows about freak shows? We’ll give you a reality show about freak shows!”
Optimistic counter-point – AMC is cash-strapped (or so it says during negotiations with showrunners) and reality shows are cheap to produce and typically profitable. So this might be a good thing if the trashy reality shows rake in money that can be used to subsidize the costlier-to-produce dramas. Just a theory, and maybe a naive one, but one can hope, right?
Christ, I wish society wasn’t arranged in such a fashion that what you said makes perfect sense. Nothing about that setup is good.
Kinda like George Clooney making the Ocean’s 11 movies in order to finance Syriana et al.?
I’m pretty sure this is — sadly enough — the correct answer.
You’re theory is good on paper on day one. Unfortunately, when the shitty shows make money, that money doesn’t go to quality shows; it goes to Dominican ladyboys and cocaine for the suits.
I like Comic Book Men. There, I said it.
Small Town Security on the other hand…
I like it to but I rarely catch it
Like a lot of Kevin Smith stuff I want to like it but some of it seems so self-glorifying. I get that it’s at least partially staged but I find a lot of the joking around just to be sort of mean-spirited and unfunny. It works if the people are being unreasonable (like it did with Randall in Clerks) but if they’re just regular people you come off like an unfunny asshole.
I watched the first Small Town Security because I honestly thought it was a parody. I thought for sure it was going to be a scripted show mocking these shitty reality shows. It wasn’t. It was just another terrible, terrible program that should never even have been an idea, let alone an idea that got approved.
Does anyone actually watch those shows? Seriously, would anyone here cop to it? I couldnt get through five minutes of Comic book Men without vomiting in rage.
You should probably see a doctor, sounds like you have stomach issues.
I often wonder the same about Talking Dead. Maybe it’s just me, but I find Chris Hardwick completely insufferable. Plus, the show is basically a shittier version of what I can get in the comments section of WG on Mondays anyway.
Chris Hardwick can be really annoying and over enthusiastic, but instead of it bothering me, I find it strangely endearing.
You know who also vomited in rage? A one Mr. Aaron Paul in a Korn music video: [www.youtube.com]
Chris Hardwick is the geek culture Jimmy Fallon. nice guy, but a fucking spazz without a funny bone in his body.
Actually, the Fallon thing is a good comparison. I think he works better as an idea man and bringing people together than a performer himself.
Comic Book Men is a nice no-need-to-overthink type show. Fits nice between The Walking Dead, The Talking Dead, and waiting for Homeland to finish downloading.
At least none of these sound as bad as that terrible reality AMC had years ago where they convinced an actor or director he had been cast in a movie, when it was actually all fake. [www.nytimes.com]
We live in a world of DVR, OnDemand and a million other ways to watch TV (not to mention the remote control). Who cares what else they put on if they keep putting out shows you do like?
Exactly. A network is only as good as the shows we actually watch, in which case, AMC is great. I’ve never watched a show because of the network it’s on.
“I’ve never watched a show because of the network it’s on.”
This is one of those truths that’s so simple people have difficulty wrapping their heads around it.
I digcomic book men but can’t get through talking dead,hardwick is often rage inducing, small town security on the other hand…. I watched an episode and still had no idea what the show was about.
The whole idea that AMC would stop making good shows just because it also reality shows is ridiculous. Reality shows are cheap and make money so that’s their strategy. They need to keep the lights on so they can keep making the shows we really enjoy. John landgraf said exactly the same thing about anger management being on FX.
Aside from those great shows, I heard somewhere that they also picked up Robert Kirkman’s comic Thief of Thieves. That should be a great show to look out for too.
Just as long as CW never tries to pick up Invincible. They would piss all over that.
Tangent Alert!
Who cares what network the TV shows are on? If it’s a good show, Danger, Dustin or Cajun Boy would tell us, and we’d watch it. Right? RIGHT!
One of the four, baby!
Agree with everything you said.
whatever AMC does it won’t be as damaging to their brand as what Warming Glow did to its brand when it started posting awful shit like this from Dustin Rowles.
oh no! my favorite TV channel has on some terrible reality show, what am i supposed to do now, use the remote??!?!?!?!
i think the crapshow that is reality tv could be used to dramatic show advantage; with reality shows, the network can acquire more advertisers, putting it in a better position to finance good shows like B Bad and Mad Men. Don’t know if that’s how it works or if someone already brought it up, but just a thought
Wait… “Small Town Security” is a reality show? Jesus.
I had that same reaction. I just thought it was like Reno 911 for snobs.
This post is very kind to Hell On Wheels to make AMC seem better than it is right now. It’s a terrible show.
I’m on of the four people who loved Rubicon. So, so much better than The Walking Dead.
I loved Rubicon. Really wish it had stayed
Showtime is surprisingly solid. Or at least more solid than I thought they were. Homeland, Weeds, and Californication isn’t as strong as anything HBO can claim, but it’s not too shabby. And I originally thought Boss was on Showtime when I sprung for a couple of months of subscription access, if that counts for anything.
I guess AMC figures if it worked for Bravo it’ll work for them. As it is, I can no longer watch anything on Bravo, so I’m guessing I’ll soon not be able to watch anything on AMC either.
Without Small Town Security, where would The Soup (and myself) go for Women Pissing Themselves videos and Lynchian-reality dancing? Or this:
[www.youtube.com]
not much of a brand really, they have a couple good shows that became great shows. theyre falling back on reality because theyre cheap. (the shows are cheap, and amc is cheap)
syfy had a cool brand yrs ago too, and they can barely keep their scripted shows afloat now