AMC is one of the early cable channels to jump onboard the scripted programming game having dabbled with it back in the 1990s. But it was in the 21st century that the network made a name for itself with premium scripted originals like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and a little show that genre fans should be familiar with titled The Walking Dead. And while AMC would follow up that latter series with other sci fi and fantasy entries over the years, nothing outside the franchise has really stuck so far. Nor has its streaming arm AMC+ delivered much success for genre shows despite some promising offerings. So can that network get beyond its TWD offering, or will it eventually exit from scripted programming–like most of the cable channels–when its zombie shows are no longer viable?
Can AMC Move Beyond The Walking Dead?
The Walking Dead premiered on AMC in the 2010-11 season and within a few years became a massive hit. In fact, at its peak, TWD was the highest-rated scripted program across all of the linear channels. That resulted in AMC greenlighting other genre entries which led to some notable shows hitting the schedule. Fear the Walking Dead spun out of TWD and the network also launched Humans, Into the Badlands, Preacher, and more. But the non-TWD entries did not find as large of an audience and lasted three to four seasons at most, with the majority of the shows ending in cancellation. More recently, AMC has launched the Immortal Universe with the Anne Rice-based properties Interview With the Vampire and Mayfair Witches enjoying some success early on. That could eventually become the network’s tentpole franchise, but so far it has not enjoyed the massive viewership that TWD experienced early on.
And even though The Walking Dead has ended and Fear the Walking Dead will wrap up this Fall, the network is still all-in on that franchise. The Walking Dead: World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead did not prove too popular, but Dead City and Daryl Dixon have both been renewed for second seasons and the mini-series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live–which brings back Rick and Michonne–is on the schedule for 2024. Diminishing returns on viewership is definitely setting in for the spin-off shows, but the word at AMC is that they want to keep moving forward with the franchise. The network does have some other sci fi entries in development with Orphan Black: Echoes set for 2024 and a Max Headroom reboot in the works (though there have been no recent updates on that one). But currently, TWD and the Immortal Universe dominate AMC’s scripted programming and it is unclear how much longer those can hold enough of an audience to justify their existence.
Does AMC+ Have Anything to Offer Sci Fi Fans?
AMC+ is the streaming service linked to AMC and it has dabbled in scripted originals since launching in 2020. That includes three promising genre shows: the Australian supernatural drama Firebite and the sci fi entries Moonhaven and Pantheon. But the former series never continued beyond its first season and the other two were cancelled and removed from streaming even though both had been handed second-season renewals. All of this came as AMC Networks was going through cost-cutting, and the AMC+ streaming service as a platform for originals appears to have been an overreach for the company. There are no other genre entries currently in the works there that I am aware of, and it may focus only on encore runs of AMC programming and acquisitions going forward.
The horror-based Shudder streaming service is also owned by AMC, but it appears to be mostly focused on movies and encore runs. It does have the Creepshow anthology series which is currently in its fourth season, but it does not have any other scripted shows in development that I can see at this time. With all the cost-cutting currently going on at AMC Networks, this streamer will also likely focus on encore runs and acquisitions as it heads into the coming years.
A Look at the Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows on AMC and AMC+
This is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on AMC or AMC+ over the past five years. For shows that have been renewed, the upcoming season is included in the count. Currently, only the two TWD and Immortal Universe shows are active across the network and the streaming service.
| Network | Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| AMC | Interview with the Vampire | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| AMC | Mayfair Witches | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| AMC | NOS4A2 | 2018-19 | 2 | Y |
| AMC | The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| AMC | The Walking Dead: Dead City | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| AMC | The Walking Dead: World Beyond | 2020-21 | 2 | Y |
| AMC | Dispatches from Elsewhere | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| AMC+ | Firebite | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| AMC+ | Moonhaven | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| AMC+ | Pantheon | 2022-23 | 1 | Y |
| AMC | Soulmates | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| AMC | Tales of the Walking Dead | 2022-23 | 1 | Y |
Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
You forgot the, to me, most notorious “Screw you!” to Science Fiction fans: AMC decision NOT to show the fourth and final season of “Snowpiercer” — even though production on it has *already* been completed — which is when a lot of this b*llsh*t started and spread to other studios!
AND, to my knowledge, THIS FINAL SEASON HAS *STILL* NOT BEEN MADE AVAILABLE ANYWHERE!
I’m still *seriously* p*ss*d at AMC for this.
To heck with them!
Actually, that was TNT and that had a lot to do with all the stuff going on with the Warner Bros. and Discovery merge. I do still expect to see the fourth season of Snowpiercer show up somewhere, especially since there will be a notable lull in scripted programming due to the strikes.