AMC has scrapped plans for the second season of “Game of Arms” and the three new unscripted series it ordered in May as the network beats a retreat out of the reality genre to redouble its focus on scripted development.
“Comic Book Men” and “Talking Dead” are the only current unscripted shows that will continue as AMC pulls out of the genre to plow its resources into developing more scripted programming.
“Scripted originals are at the core of the AMC brand. Iconic shows like ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ have driven AMC’s evolution into a must-have television network,” AMC said in a statement. “We are proud of our efforts in unscripted programming and the unique worlds we have been able to introduce, but in an environment of exploding content options for viewers, we have decided to make scripted programming our priority.”
The move amounts to a big about-face after AMC just last month renewed its arm-wrestling show “Game of Arms” and in May ordered three reality series: “All-Star Celebrity Bowling,” an untitled wrestling project produced by Billy Corgan and “Visionaries,” about a scenic design firm in Hollywood.
“4th and Loud,” a docu series about the Los Angeles arena football league team owned by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, is about to wrap up its initial run and will not be back.
