Since the premier of Mad Men in 2007, AMC has produced nothing but highly acclaimed TV shows, Breaking Bad, last Summer's Rubicon, and the new Walking Dead. But did you know AMC has been producing original programming since 1996? Remember WENN ran from 1996 until 1998, until it was canceled due to new management despite the fact that it was highly successful and slated for a fifth season. The Lot ran from 1999 to 2001, but was not received well by fans or critics. In 2002, AMC changed its format and began playing a broader variety of movies and adding commercial breaks. The slogan changed to "story matters here." It is interesting to note that both shows were canceled just before the station changed its format. With the addition of corporate advertising sponsorship, AMC has been able to produce high quality original programming in the last few years.
AMC has also had a few flops other than The Lot. In 2004, they premiered a reality show called Film Makers, dubbed "the meanest show on television." Out of work actors were made to believe that they were about to start the role that would be their big break. At the end of the week, they were told that there was no movie and the whole thing was just a bad joke. Understandably, it fell right off the air. A 2009 miniseries called The Prisoner was based off a series from the 60s by the same name. It received a 46/100 from Metacritic. Rober Lloyd of the LA Times said that "why anyone, on either side of the screen, should be particularly interested in his fate, is never made clear nor compelling." However, a 2006 miniseries Broken Trail won five Primetime Emmy Awards
In the long run AMC has produced quite a bit of high quality original programming. From the looks of things, they may just have another hit with The Walking Dead.
John Byrne
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