As the flagship property of AMC’s larger entertainment corporation, AMC has earned standout praise for its diverse catalog of movies, TV shows, and other entertaining programs since its creation in 1984. Initially billing itself as a premium curator of classic movies, AMC reinvented itself by the early 2000s as a dependable source of original TV series.
Having dabbled in practically every major genre of television imaginable, AMC’s contributions to the larger TV industry knows almost no bounds. From fan-favorite zombie serials to universally acclaimed crime dramas, here are some of the greatest TV shows we’ve seen on AMC yet, ranked in order from worst to best.
The Walking Dead
In hindsight, it’s easy to admit that The Walking Dead started to wane in popularity right around the time of its fifth season. Yet even the harshest detractors will have a hard time discounting the series’ critically successful first seasons. A dramatic adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s cult favorite comic book series, The Walking Dead brought AMC a renewed wave of attention from mainstream audiences at the start of the 2010s, solidifying the network’s place as a premium supplier of first-rate TV shows.
The Terror
Unfortunately, anthology series have a way of falling apart as time goes on – a phenomenon best illustrated by the gradual decline of American Horror Story or Black Mirror. Even if The Terror were to suddenly peter off in the future, however, the initial two seasons of this AMC horror series remain peak genre television in its own distinct way. Dropping viewers into the wilds of the Arctic Tundra (in its first season) or America’s hellish WW2 internment camps (in its second), The Terror mixes horror with historical fiction in a tense, satisfying, often downright terrifying manner.
The Killing
An American remake of Denmark’s popular TV series, The Killing effortlessly transposed the Danish police procedural drama to its Seattle settings. Retaining the core characteristics of its source material, AMC’s version of The Killing made for an exceptionally riveting mystery series that brought out the best of its lead actors, especially the grizzled Joel Kinnaman. The 2010s equivalent to Twin Peaks, it’s a series that’s impossible to stop once you’ve hit play, roping viewers in through its morally complex characters and episodic main mysteries.
Halt and Catch Fire
Just as its spiritual predecessor Mad Men evaluated the revolutionary atmosphere of the 1960s, Halt and Catch Fire provided a similar glimpse into the heart of the 1980s computer industry. While the show never accrued the same level of recognition as its fellow AMC sister series, Halt and Catch Fire succeeded as an engrossing historical drama in its own right, analyzing humanity’s growing dependence on the Internet as manufacturers, developers, and engineers struggled to construct their first home computer systems.
Mad Men
You don’t have to be a historian to recognize the fact that the 1960s marked one of the most important decades in U.S. history. With the days of traditional Eisenhower Era family values giving way to a widespread cultural revolution, the ‘60s came fraught with massive social changes for almost every person in the American landscape. Depicting the gradual changes of the decade, Mad Men focused on a group of individuals trying to make sense of their lives in this ever-uncertain decade. More than a mere TV drama about the advertisement industry, Mad Men illustrated how time and our immediate surroundings influence the larger trajectory of our lives, often in ways we’re not even fully aware of or understand.
Better Call Saul
When Vince Gilligan announced his Breaking Bad spin-off series, Better Call Saul, audiences waited with bated breath to see what the final product might look like. Fortunately, Gilligan created what very might well be the greatest spin-off show yet with his comedic legal drama. A fascinating origin story or Bob Odenkirk’s sleazy Breaking Bad attorney, Better Call Saul effortlessly complimented the underlying narrative first presented in Breaking Bad, all the while standing tall as its own self-contained story.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad has the distinction of not only serving as the best AMC series of all time – it’s all among the finest TV dramas shows ever created. Rising to the same heights as The Sopranos or The Wire before it, Vince Gilligan and company conjured up a harrowing tragedy centered around Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, a meek family man whose transformation into a power-hungry sociopath forms the backbone of the series. Growing only better with each new season, it’s impossible to overstate Breaking Bad’s prominent place in AMC’s lineup of shows.
