Norman Reedus: Everything we know about his new show on AMC
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
鈥淭he Walking Dead鈥� actor Norman Reedus , but this one won鈥檛 be a fictional show.
Reedus鈥檚 new program will be titled 鈥淩ide With Norman Reedus鈥� and will center on motorcycles and those who love them. The installments will explore various cities.
The actor previously starred in such films as 鈥淭he Boondock Saints鈥� and 鈥淰acation.鈥� 鈥淲alking,鈥� which is a huge hit for AMC and often sets viewership records, is currently airing its sixth season.
AMC has become a home for quality and popular television. Its shows 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� and 鈥淢ad Men,鈥� both of which recently ended, are often called some of the best TV programs ever made. 鈥淲alking鈥� doesn鈥檛 have the same critical acclaim but is one of the most popular TV shows airing right now.
In addition, Reedus himself is a popular figure among 鈥淲alking鈥� fans. He currently has more than two million followers on Twitter.
Can the show succeed? While 鈥淲alking鈥� is a pop culture juggernaut, being associated with the show doesn鈥檛 equal automatic success. The network premiered a spin-off, titled 鈥淔ear the Walking Dead,鈥� earlier this year. However, the show has met with a mixed critical reception. Ratings were big for the series premiere, but its numbers toward the end of the season were far below those for an episode of "Walking." However, there are few shows on cable TV that are harder to live up to in terms of ratings.
Will the format of the show win over viewers? A somewhat similar program, titled 鈥淛ay Leno鈥檚 Garage,鈥� recently debuted on CNBC. As indicated by the title, on the show, the former NBC 鈥淭onight Show鈥� host looks at the past and present of cars. It had a big debut in the ratings, but the program couldn鈥檛 sustain those numbers in its second week.聽
The fact that Reedus鈥檚 show, which is set to premiere in 2016, will be one of the few unscripted programs on the network could be a good or bad thing. AMC has increasingly set itself up as a destination for prestige TV, greenlighting such shows as 鈥淏etter Call Saul,鈥� which is a spin-off of 鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� and the Revolutionary War drama 鈥淭urn.鈥� Reedus鈥檚 show could be a refreshing change for some. But since AMC doesn鈥檛 have many unscripted TV shows on right now, viewers looking for TV based on real life may have gotten used to heading someplace like TLC or A&E, both of which have multiple popular unscripted programs.
