Ten years after the premiere of Mad Men, AMC celebrated by greenlighting Dietland, an original drama from UnReal’s Marti Noxon and Skydance, and another example of the network’s “script to series” model.

Based on Sarai Walker’s bestselling 2015 novel and slated for a 2018 premiere date, the 10-episode series will show what it takes for plus size women to survive in the beauty industry and the unrealistic societal norms it fosters.

Described by the network as fun, complex, profound, scathing and subversive satire, creator Marti Noxon had more to say about the project:

“When I was going to get ready to take Dietland on, I felt like maybe we wouldn’t find a home for it [because] Dietland is unlike anything else I’ve done. You can’t quantify what Dietland is. The central character Plum isn’t plus size, she’s morbidly obese, and joins a cult that’s killing and mutilating men who hurt women. It’s savage,” said Noxon. “It’s for all the people who are saying enough racism. Enough beauty-ism. Enough being told that we’re not enough. AMC not only wanted it, but have been incredible partners. The show is so timely and they get every part of it. We wish we could put it on now. It’s an exciting show that is unlike anything else on TV.”

Dietland’s greenlighting coincided with the announcement of several other shows on AMC’s development slate, and continued the network’s emphasis on their existing relationships, as each project was linked with frequent creative partners such as Better Call Saul producers Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick’s production company Fish Ladder, and The Walking Dead executive producer, director and special FX make-up designer Greg Nicotero. (For more detail on the slate, go here.)

This aligns with the network’s continued focus on fans.

“As the industry evolves, we continue to challenge ourselves to disrupt from within. The golden age of television is leading in to the golden age of fandom. Historically, television networks have had a one to many relationship with viewers,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “Today we’re one to one. Through data, social engagement, events, and more, we’re creating a personal and direct relationship with our fans. Fans are leading us in the right direction. We’re in transition from a linear network to a global entertainment company. We will continue to do so with fans very much at the center of what we do.”

That focus on fans dovetails directly with AMC Visionaries, a new year-round documentary series that aims to deep dive into fan-favorite art forms.

The first series, Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics, kicks off November 12 and expands The Walking Dead creator’s relationship with AMC. The six-parter will delve into the world of comic books and trace how it’s become entrenched in popular culture today, featuring interviews with Stan Lee, Patty Jenkins, Lynda Carter, Kevin Smith, Famke Janssen, J.K. Simmons, Michelle Rodriguez and Todd McFarlane, among others.

But comics are just the tip of the iceberg for the docuseries—the series has a different focus each season, with James Cameron on deck for The Story of Science Fiction, then Eli Roth’s History of Horror, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots joining Going Clear director Alex Gibney for Rap Yearbook in 2018.

Kirkman, Cameron and Roth all promised a look at their respective genres that will not only excite and educate a casual fan, but offer hardcore fans new insight.

Cameron seeks to trace the lineage of the ideas and visions that are now commonplace on TV and movie screens to their roots: literature.

“We live in a world that’s been overtaken by a lot of science fiction ideas. The doors were blown open by Star Wars in 1967 and never backed off since. We want to go all the way back to the pulps, the 30s, the golden age of literary science fiction in the 40s and 50s, with Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Arthur Clarke, the grandmasters of science fiction,” said Cameron. “We’ll take it all the way from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. People are aware of the pop-culture iconography, but don’t necessarily know where these ideas originated.”

The shows will spotlight the women and people of color in these genres. Kirkman promised an episode on the women instrumental in the creation of Wonder Woman, and an episode called “The Color of Comics” that explores the history of black characters like Black Panther, as well as the general lack of black characters in the industry and the creators of Milestone Comics that aimed to change that.

“We wouldn’t have horror without Mary Shelley and Frankenstein,” said Roth, promising to talk about the racial and societal contexts of films like Night of the Living Dead.

Each series will analyze the interaction between the art form and society.

“[Science fiction] is a way for us to hold a mirror up to our present reality and project forward and face our fears and anxieties in a fictional context,” said Cameron.

“The best horror has always reflected what’s going on at the times. Get Out is a movie that gives everyone a safe context to talk about racial tension. It’s such a great film, and it’s no accident that it’s resonating with people,” said Roth.

AMC clearly believes that AMC Visionaries will resonate with people, with three more installments already in development: “History of the Martial Arts,” “History of Video Games” and the “Outlaws of The Internet.”

[Image courtesy of TV Guide]

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