Here’s some great news from AMC.  The season two premiere of The Walking Dead, scheduled for October 16th at 9 pm on AMC, has been extended from an hour to 90 minutes.  They also have two new series coming.  Here’s the official press release from AMC:

 

 

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AMC’s critically acclaimed original series, “The Walking Dead,” is back with its much anticipated second 13 episode season. Kicking off a two week long Fearfest, the network will once again present viewers with a 90-minute premiere episode, airing at 9 PM ET on Sunday, October 16th, with six one-hour episodes in the weeks following. The final six episodes of the season will commence on Sunday, February 12th at 9pm ET.  The 90 minute version will also be launched globally on all Fox International Channels, following the US premiere the week of October 17th-23rd. Season two will reach FOX audiences in 122 countries, speaking 35 languages and will be seen by over 200 million households globally.

 

“The Walking Dead” follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln (“Love Actually,” “Teachers,” “Strike Back”), who are traveling in search of a safe and secure home. Jon Bernthal (“The Pacific,” “The Ghost Writer”) plays Shane Walsh, Rick’s sheriff’s department partner before the apocalypse, and Sarah Wayne Callies (“Prison Break”), is Rick’s wife, Lori Grimes.  Additional cast include: Laurie Holden, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey DeMunn, Chandler Riggs, Iron E. Singleton and Melissa McBride. Recently announced guest stars include: Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson and Pruitt Taylor Vince. 

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Also, AMC is announcing that two new series have been greenlit.  It’s a Kevin Smith project!!  It’s unscripted though, but it’s due to premiere when the second half of the Walking Dead’s season comes back on February 12th.  Got that on your calendars?  Here’s the official info:

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AMC announced today that the network has greenlit the unscripted television series Secret Stash executive produced by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy),  Charlie Corwin’s Original Media (LA Ink, Miami Ink, Storm Chasers and Swamp People) and Elyse Seiden (Red State).   Set in Kevin Smith’s iconic comic shop Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, the unscripted show captures the world of the neighborhood comic book store and fanboy culture. Season one is six, one-hour episodes and is currently scheduled for a 1Q 2012 launch.  The series exemplifies AMC’s goal to be the definitive home for quality storytelling. 

"Draper.  Meth.  Zombies.  This show couldn’t be on a better network.  AMC is to television what Miramax was to cinema back when I first got in the game: they’re the premier destination for any story-teller looking to spin an offbeat yarn that no other outlet has the stones to touch,” said Smith.  “And as if I didn’t love them enough, now they’re putting my friends on TV!   I’m ecstatic, proud, and extremely lucky to be in bed with a network I watch religiously anyway.  And if they’d pushed just a little harder in the negotiations, I’d have done this show for no payment beyond early access to every episode of MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD, and WALKING DEAD."

 

“AMC has a strong commitment to quality storytelling and we’re excited to help further shape this legacy,” said Corwin. “Kevin and I developed this series to create a story for fanboys by fanboyism and we are determined to reveal to audiences the insular yet colorful fanboy world.”

 

“The comic book store is, in many ways, the corner bar for comic book fans. It is still this place where everybody knows your name, and you can go and geek out with like minded people. If I lived closer, I’d want to hang out at here. It’s got great energy, great personality, and is a perfect portal into the world of comic book culture,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s SVP of original programming, production and digital content.

 

Secret Stash (Working Title)

 

The Secret Stash is a one hour series that captures the world of the local comic book store. Way before comic book culture went mainstream, the comic store has not only been a place for people to buy, sell, or trade for cool stuff; but also to hang out and be part of a community that just loves comics. Secret Stash will capture both of these aspects of comic store life. It will document the daily banter of The Secret Stash and it’s employees and devoted customers; and it will capture the fun and emotion of buying and selling collectibles and comic memorabilia that happens in comic book stores all across the country and in mega-venues like Comic-Con.  

 

AMC’s Joel Stillerman, Senior Vice President of Original Programming, Production and Digital Content, Mary Conlon, Vice President of Non-Scripted Original Programming, and Ari Mark, Director of Development, oversee development and production for the network’s unscripted series. Eric Wattenberg from CAA represents Original Media.

 

Smith does a daily radio show from 8 to noon, Monday to Friday, at SModcast.com.  SModcast.com is the home of TELL ‘EM, STEVE-DAVE – the podcast that features the Secret Stash crew.

 

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While we’re at it, how about one more series for AMC?  Here’s everything you need to know on that project:

 

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AMC announced today that the network has greenlit JJK Security, executive produced by Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver from Left/Right (This American Life, Boomtown, Mob Wives).  JJK Security celebrates the slightly off-kilter characters who work at a small, family-owned private security company located in rural Georgia – a one-stop shop for services that range from private investigations to personal protection to neighborhood patrols, and everything in between. Inspired by what filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Christopher Guest and Robert Altman have done capturing quirky, larger than life characters in the scripted realm, with JJK, AMC will aim to bring that sensibility to unscripted programming.  Season one consists of eight, half-hour episodes and the series is currently scheduled for a 3Q, 2012 launch. The series exemplifies AMC’s goal to be the definitive home for quality storytelling. 

 

“When we first saw the tape of JJK we were speechless. It is unlike anything we have ever seen before – a true original. The characters are incredibly rich and compelling; and Left/Right found a way to tell the story in an honest, funny, and nuanced way. In non-fiction series, it is incredibly hard to find great characters and great story, and this is truly both,” said Stillerman.

 

“From the moment that I set foot in the JJK offices and met the staff, I fell in love with them and knew they were a show,” says executive producer Ken Druckerman.  “But I couldn’t think of anything like it on TV, so naturally I was worried that we would never find the right home.   Fortunately, AMC fell in love with the cast and their story for the same reasons that we did.”

 

About JJK Security (Working Title):

 

JJK Security is a Southern gothic workplace dramedy – a wry and quirky take on the inner workings of our cast as they run their security business. The owners and employees at JJK are as different as night and day – but they each share a certain peculiarity and an appreciation for one another’s differences that binds them together, like an extended family.  Each episode is framed around an ongoing investigation, a security assignment, training a new recruit, etc – the nuts-and-bolts work of a private security firm.  But below the surface is an incredibly compelling character based story.

 

AMC’s Joel Stillerman, Senior Vice President of Original Programming, Production and Digital Content, Mary Conlon, Vice President of Non-Scripted Original Programming, and Ari Mark, Director of Development, oversee development and production for the network’s unscripted series. Matthew Saul from WME represents Left/Right Inc.

 

 

 

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Southern gothic workplace dramedy?  Okay, that might work.  With AMC’s track record, I’m willing to give it a shot.  In the meantime, bring on The Walking Dead season two!  

 

 

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