Having quickly established itself as a home for quality dramas, AMC is turning its focus to reality programming with two new shows: One goes inside the Department of Homeland Security, and the other is a real-life version of the network’s signature show, Mad Men.
Inside DHS will detail the government agency’s responsibilities, from fighting terrorism to securing U.S. borders. The second show is called The Pitch, and it documents ad agencies as they craft and pitch a new marketing campaign to clients.
“In each episode, we’ll follow the best creative shops as they pitch a new account and go behind-the-scenes as they prepare the campaigns and pitches that are meant to influence the way we as consumers live our lives,” reads the description.
AMC’s Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vp of programming, says the network’s unscripted fare will be more high-brow and documentary-style than usual TV reality content.
“AMC’s Docu-Stories expands on the network’s goal to work with the best storytellers and filmmakers,” he said. “The inherent drama of Inside DHS is palpable, particularly given that we only hear about a tiny fraction of the threats they deal with everyday. This is the real story of the day-to-day battle to keep us safe, prepared, and resilient. With The Pitch, we don’t have to look any further than the frenzy around the Super Bowl — or for that matter the passion for advertising in and around our own Mad Men — to understand how much advertising matters in our culture. It’s a cut-throat business and The Pitch will capture the essence of it in a way we truly have not seen before.”
Inside DHS is expected to air this fall, while The Pitch is lined up for 2012.
Yuck. Reality programming on AMC? Fail.
Reality shows don’t have to suck. It’s not like they’re doing Kardashians or Flavor of Love or something in a high-end (salon, tanning parlor, tattoo shop, etc.). There actually sounds like some thought at work here.
Inside DHS sounds like Homeland security USA that aired on ABC a while ago.
Nah, this one goes inside the actual HS – that one, while still amazing, focused on individual searches of people crossing the border. Two different shows about.
I suppose that suonds and smells just about right.
I thought some official came out & said that the only reason they’d caught terrorists within the U.S. was because the terrorists had made big, glaring mistakes. Otherwise no one has been caught using conventional methods. So will a reality show about DHS be interesting? Maybe scarey would be a better description.
Another reality show. Another reality show showing something about someone’s job. Another reality show on AMC, meaning it will be interrupted eight thousand sevne and sixty-three times an hour with commercials. Whoopee.
Great article. I cant wait to hear more about your research tool. If it is as good as your other products, then you will have another winner. Your article pretty much summed up what I have been seeing too. Great to see some hard data.