AMC Is Getting into Comedy

AMC established its brand with weighty, high-quality dramas, but now it's going to try its hand at comedy.

AMC established its brand with weighty, high-quality dramas, but now it's going to try its hand at comedy.

News today emerged of a variety of comedy projects the network is developing. For instance, Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter, carries news that it's working on an adaptation of Andrea Abbate's play Random Acts, about two female contract killers in Echo Park. (A Random Acts TV show has been in the works for a while, Epix announced it was developing it in 2010.) Meanwhile, Nellie Andreeva at Deadline says that the network also has a project from John Leguizamo, based on his real-life friends, and one from Wyatt Cenac, about a man working at an Austin car dealership. The network is set to announce its full upfront development slate this afternoon. Update: The full development slate is out and there is one more comedy on the list: Sober Buddies, about a pro-surfer turned sober coach. It's set to be written by Danny Comden and Barry Schwartz, but Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are on board as executive producers.

AMC is a network in transition, with one of its flagship shows, Breaking Bad, over and another, Mad Men, on the way out. It has two period pieces (Turn and Halt and Catch Fire) debuting soon and some spinoffs (one for The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul). Comedy is a way for it to move forward and avoid comparisons with their best material. Still, none of these sound that great on paper.