AMC exits unscripted

US cable channel AMC is stopping production of its unscripted slate in order to focus efforts on premium drama, which have already yielded Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Mad Men.

As part of the strategy, all development will end. Production of all unscripted shows, including the recently-recommissioned Game of Arms but excluding Walking Dead talk show The Talking Dead, will no longer go forwards.

This comes three years after the AMC Networks-owned channel first pushed into unscripted programming.

“Scripted originals are at the core of the AMC brand,” said an AMC rep. “Iconic shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead have driven AMC’s evolution into a must-have television network.

“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.”

AMC’s unscripted team is between eight and 10-strong, though there was no word on their futures. The futures of upcoming shows are also unclear, but may transfer to other networks given some are in production or pre-production.