AMC To Branch Into Scripted Comedy With Random Acts, Sober Buddies And More

With Breaking Bad long gone and Mad Men set to head off the air in spring 2015, the executives at AMC know that they cannot sustain their impressive growth purely through the success of The Walking Dead. That’s why the cable network announced on Wednesday that they will push forward with scripted comedy and are developing around a half-dozen new shows.

Among these potential hits is Random Acts, an adaptation of Andrea Abbate’s play about thirty-something girlfriends Katie and Lisa – who make their living as contract killers. Abbate will write and executive produce the single-camera comedy, which could be on the air as early as 2015. Further, executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad) are helming Sober Buddies, about a pro surfer turned sober coach who has to deal with own problems as he goes off the wagon.

Meanwhile, AMC greenlit its first series pilot, the intriguing We Hate Paul Revere. Ethan Sandler and Adrian Wenner are the creators and stars of the comedy about two brothers living in Colonial Boston with an intense hatred of Paul Revere. AMC has been developing this series since late 2012 and if ordered into a series, it could also debut in 2015.

Other shows AMC has in development, according to today’s announcement, include No Money Down, from stand-up comic and former Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenec (pictured above). No Money Down is about an unemployed man finding work with an Austin used car dealership. John Leguizamo also has a show in development that is inspired by his life and follows a group of men living in New York. It sounds like it could be AMC’s East Coast answer to Entourage.

Finally, director Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman will host Hollywood Babble-On, a late-night program based on their award-winning pop culture podcast. Considering that AMC is still primarily a movie network, Hollywood Babble-On seems to be a natural fit for late-night programming.

AMC will be a very different network in 2015 and beyond, once Sterling Cooper & Partners closes its doors. However, alongside the irreverent stylings of Bob Odenkirk on the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, the network could be the launching ground for some instant comedy classics.