‘Game of Arms,’ ‘Freakshow,’ more canceled in AMC shift; ‘Talking Dead’ will continue

AMC just officially did a Red Wedding on almost everything unscripted, and that may include some of your favorites.

Today, the network confirmed that they are ending production on a series of shows that have populated their lineup for the past few years, and that includes “Freakshow,” “4th and Loud,” “Game of Arms” (which had already started production for another season), “Small Town Security,” and also even projects in development. This is extremely sad for “All-Star Celebrity Bowling” an adaptation of the Nerdist web series (though it was not going to be hosted by Chris Hardwick). Ironically, Hardwick’s “Talking Dead” and “Comic Book Men” are the only two AMC unscripted shows moving forward.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the network said the following:

“Scripted originals are at the core of the AMC brand. 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.”

In a way, we understand why the move is being made. Few watched AMC for the unscripted fare, but many of them also didn’t have an opportunity to do well due to them airing on nights where the network isn’t known for programming. “Small Town Security” became a joke, mostly because it was the show that you had to watch to see promos for shows you cared about. “Freakshow” was genuinely fascinating, and we wanted to see what the bowling show would be like.

It’s possible that these canceled shows could find new homes, but there’s no news as of yet.

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Photo: AMC