AMC Announces First Comedy, a Late-Night Kevin Smith Series & More

 

 

Now that 'Breaking Bad' is over and 'Mad Men' practically has one foot out the door, AMC is doing its best to entice fans by promising new and exciting TV ventures on the horizon. This includes its very first comedy pilot!

On Wednesday, the network unveiled a 2014 upfront slate and announced they were officially handing out an order to 'We Hate Paul Revere,' along with many other numerous comedy and drama projects.

"We're very excited to continue our growth in original programming over the coming year," AMC executive Joel Stillerman said in a statement. "Along with some great new dramas, and our growing slate of unscripted series; we'll be expanding our brand of unexpected and unconventional original programming into scripted comedy."

He continued: "We've got some terrific comedy projects in development, and are thrilled that we'll be making our first comedy pilot this year. In 'We Hate Paul Revere,' we'll explore the characters that history forgot. For more than 200 years, Paul Revere has had a pretty good ride. It's about time someone took him down a peg!"

Written and executive produced by Ethan Sandler and Adrian Wenner, the series will tell the story of brothers Hugh and Ebenezer Moody as they struggle to find the recognition they believe they deserve while living in the shadow of history in colonial Boston. It's set to shoot in the third quarter of this year for consideration in 2015.

But that isn't the only way AMC is looking to dip its toes into the comedic pool. They've also decided to invest more in the Kevin Smith business.

Not only has the cable network chosen to renew Smith's unscripted success 'Comic Book Men' for a fourth season, but they're also looking to explore a late-night project with the comedian and his longtime collaborator Ralph Garman. The duo's live podcast, 'Hollywood Babble-On,' will film a pilot this spring with the hope of a weekly series in mind.

In other news, the network has also inked 'Sons of Anarchy's Dave Erickson to co-write and executive produce their highly anticipated 'Walking Dead' companion series, which was announced in September of last year.

Suffice to say, there's a lot to look forward to. But don't just take our word for it. Check out the slew of shows the network also has in development below and be the judge yourself!

Scipted Dramas in Development:

'Area 51'
Writer/EP: Chris Carter ('The X Files'); EP: Gale Anne Hurd ('The Walking Dead'). Based on the New York Times best-seller 'Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base' by Annie Jacobsen. A contemporary conspiracy thriller revealing the true story behind the infamous Area 51, America's most mysterious military installation.

'Police State'
Writer/EP Michael Tolkin ('The Player'); EP: Josh Applebaum, André Nemec, Scott Rosenberg & Jeff Pinkner. A dark comedic tale of Ollie, a big-box store security guard, who is secretly recruited by an NSA-like organization. Starting as an observer, a person who can see everything by manipulating our electronic devices, Ollie will rise to power in hopes of changing the system but will ultimately compromise his intentions.

'Kingmakers'
Writer/EP: Tom Kelly ('Blue Bloods,' 'Copper'); Co-Production with Endemol Studios. Based on the French series, 'Les Hommes De L'Ombre,' 'Kingmakers' follows a former campaign manager forced to get back into politics when his friend and current gubernatorial candidate is assassinated during a campaign speech. This series marks the first project in AMC's overall deal with Kelly.

'Bombingham'
Writer/EP: Alexander Woo ('True Blood'); Executive Producer: Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment. The fragile peace in present day Birmingham, Ala., is shattered when a murderer from 1963 is discovered and buried demons from the Civil Rights Era resurface.

'The Sparrow'
Writer/Executive Producer: Michael Perry ('The River,' 'Paranormal Activity 2'). Based on Mary Doria Russell's acclaimed science-fiction epic, tells the story of a Jesuit-led mission to make first contact with an alien race.

'Jerry's World'
Writer/Executive Producer: Jan Oxenberg ('Once and Again'); Executive Producers: David Shore and Erin Gunn of Shore Z and Wendy Riche ('Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County'); Co-production with Sony Pictures Television. This drama follows Dinah, a commitment-phobic artist and the world's most unlikely caregivers she cobbles together an unusual and very modern family when she moves in with her boyfriend, his daughter, and her estranged father Jerry (who has early onset Alzheimers). Although Dinah thinks she is saving Jerry by taking him in, Jerry's unusual perspective on the world ends up saving Dinah, and the rest of the family.

'Paradise Lost'
Writer/Executive Producer: Amy Lippman ('Masters of Sex'). Tells the story of a group of friends who withdraw from society to create a new, more positive community in which to raise their families -- but at what cost?

Comedies in Development:

'Sober Buddies'
Jonesy, a lovably washed up pro surfer turned sober coach works to help Jason, the privileged, ne'er-do-well son of a wealthy industrialist. Together 24/7 in a sort of arranged marriage, the two will come to rely on one another since as of yesterday, Jonesy isn't exactly sober.

'Untitled John Leguizamo Project'
Writer/EP/star: John Leguizamo; writer/EP: Sal Stabile ('Revenge'); EPs: Jeff Golenberg and Sam Maydew of Silver Lining Entertainment. Drawing inspiration from John's real life, this half hour follows a group of men in Queens, The Bronx and upper Manhattan wrestling with careers, relationships, family, ambition, and getting older.

'No Money Down'
W/EP/star: Wyatt Cenac; EPs: Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan and Liza Chasin of Working Title; Co-Executive Producer: Daniel Pipski of Working Title. The comedy series follows a guy who bottoms out and begins working at an Austin car dealership with a variety of personalities.

'Random Acts'
Writer and Executive Producer: Andrea Abbate (based on her play of the same name); Executive Producers: Todd Holland and Karey Burke of Dark Toy Entertainment and Kenton Allen of Big Talk Productions. As single girls in their early 30's, Katie and Lisa work through issues with relationships, family, and growing up. As contract killers in Echo Park, Katie and Lisa work through issues with drug lords, crooked cops and unpaid debts.

Unscripted Projects:

'Untitled Billy Corgan Wrestling Project'
Produced by Left/Right, LLC ('Small Town Security,' 'This American Life,' 'Mob Wives'); EPs: Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Billy Corgan and Ghen Maynard. Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan pulls back the curtains on the pro-wrestling world as he takes over creative direction for the independent wrestling company Resistance Pro.

'Bronx Pop'
Produced by Richard Devinki Productions and Red Hot Poker Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television, EPs: Anne Clements and Mike Wittlin. A comedic docusoap following tough guys and lifelong friends Ralph Rubino and Nicky D'Angelo, as they hit the streets to launch an old fashioned soda pop company, Bronx Pop.

'Prison Redemption'
Produced by Custom Redtail Partners ('The Devil's Ride'); EPs: Chris Burke, Jared Cotton and Steve Stockman. A docuseries that takes a gritty, no holds barred look at life for both the inmates and the employees of the Pierce County Jail in Tacoma, Wash.