With Fear The Walking Dead in the middle of its eighth and final season, it’s worth stopping to appreciate the quality of AMC’s original scripted programming. After all, the popular network has also blessed the world with such riveting, consistently entertaining original TV shows as Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and more.
With multiple AMC originals cracking IMDb’s Top 250 TV Shows of all time, it’s worth highlighting what the biggest supporters of the network’s most outstanding original series feel are their best qualities. If nothing else, AMC has proven to rival HBO and Showtime with their excellent originals.
10 TURN: Washington Spies (2014-2017) – 8.1
Stream On AMC+
Created by Craig Silverstein, TURN: Washington Spies is a period espionage drama that chronicles the rise of the Culper Ring, a team of spies during the American Revolutionary War led by Abe Woodhull, a patriotic farmer on Long Island.
Following a 90-minute pilot that instantly grips viewers and draws them in, many IMDb users note how hooked they were from the start of TURN. While some question the show’s historical veracity, others feel the liberties taken do not detract from Jamie Bell’s commanding lead performance nor hinders the engaging story. Given the contemporary landscape of politics, witnessing America’s first spy ring and Secret Service more than 200 years ago still feels timely and topical.
9 The Walking Dead (2010-2022) – 8.1
Stream On Netflix
Created by Frank Darabont, The Walking Dead remains a flagship original series in AMC’s rich history. The epic story of Rick Grimes leading a group of survivors through a grueling zombie apocalypse captured the zeitgeist of the times and became a landmark pop-cultural touchstone.
Despite its massive popularity and years of reliable entertainment, many on IMDb actually echo how the all-time great zombie TV show would be rated higher if it didn’t overstay its welcome and drag the story out too long. Most feel as though the horror show peaked in the earlier seasons before losing its way after Season 7 or so. Regardless of the perceived drop-off in the eyes of IMDb users, TWD helped launch AMC to a new stratosphere.
8 Pantheon (2022) – 8.2
Stream On DirecTV
Also created by Craig Silverstein, Pantheon is the only AMC+ original and only animated series to make the grade. The story concerns Maddie, a 14-year-old techie who begins receiving cryptic messages from her deceased father and searches for answers with a genius named Caspian.
Canceled after one season despite getting a Season 2 order and receiving glowing reviews from IMDb users, plaudits range from the show being a hidden gem to the absolute best sci-fi series of 2022. With 19 10/10 review scores out of 35 comments, the overwhelming sentiment on IMDb is that the thought-provoking, cerebrally challenging cartoon was canceled far before it was able to find its audience.
7 Hell On Wheels (2011-2016) – 8.3
Stream On AMC+
Created by Joe and Tony Gayton, Hell on Wheels is a period drama western set after the American Civil War. The story traces the troubled Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon, who sets out to avenge the death of his wife on a gory warpath.
A compelling character study as well as a fascinating historical drama, the depiction of the American frontier expanding amid the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad provides high-quality entertainment. IMDb’s supporters cite the hyper-violence, gritty action, lack of romantic sentimentalism, and top-tier craft and production values as the reason Hell on Wheels is a must-see AMC original series.
6 The Killing (2011-2014) – 8.3
Stream On Hulu
Created by Veena Sud, The Killing aired its first three seasons on AMC before moving to Netflix for Season 4. Hailed for focusing on one main murder case over the course of the entire series, the still underrated detective show concerns the mysterious death of teenage Rosie Larsen and the ramifications it has on the city of Seattle.
Adapted from the Danish series Forbrydelsen, IMDb voters are quick to note how the show retains its dark, brooding European sensibilities and does not compromise its disturbing atmosphere to appease American audiences. The confluence of crime, politics, and personal grief keeps viewers on edge and off-balance at once, with Seattle being the perfect gloomy backdrop.
5 Halt And Catch Fire (2014-2017) – 8.4
Stream On AMC+
Created by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers, Halt and Catch Fire is an acclaimed period drama that traces the early days of personal computing during the 1980s and the advancement of the internet in the 1990s.
Consistently lauded on IMDb for its stellar writing and performances by Lee Pace and Scoot McNairy, many fans feel that Halt and Catch Fire is better than Jobs, good enough to rival any HBO original series, and arguably the best original AMC series since Breaking Bad. A whip-smart technological drama that challenges viewers to think more than most, Halt and Catch Fire is accessibly binge-worthy and cerebrally stimulating at once.
4 Mad Men (2007-2015) – 8.7
Stream On AMC+
Created by Matthew Wiener, Mad Men is the AMC original that gave the network the critical street cred to rival HBO and Showtime. The 16 Primetime Emmy winner follows New York’s glitziest ad agency during the 1960s, where Don Draper and his associates contend with the fast-changing times.
Now rated #102 on IMDb’s Top 250 TV Shows of all time, Mad Men is universally revered on IMDb as a period drama that lives up to its ungodly expectations thanks to its superb writing, acting, direction, set design, and salient commentary on the power dynamics of a male-dominated workplace. Without its consistency and high quality, AMC might not be the powerhouse network it is today.
3 Remember WENN (1996-1998) – 8.8
Stream On AMC+
Created by Rupert Holmes, Remember WENN was a half-hour dramedy that aired on the American Movie Channel (AMC) for 56 episodes in the mid-90s. While it’s ironic that many do not recall Remember WENN, the vocal IMDb supporters vow to keep its lasting legacy alive.
Remember WENN follows a Pittsburgh radio station during the 1930s and the various personalities that work at the WENN channel. Plaudits for the great forgotten sitcom range from being a true hidden and unsung gem to a nostalgic blast from the past that shows how far forms of entertainment have come in the past century.
2 Better Call Saul (2015-2022) – 8.9
Stream On Netflix
Created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, Better Call Saul is arguably the greatest spin-off show on record. The story traces the seedy exploits of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman before he consorts with Walter White, providing a fascinating insight into a career criminal as his moral core unravels over time.
Nominated for a whopping 46 Primetime Emmy Awards and currently rated #32 on IMDb’s Top 250 TV Shows, there’s nary a bad word about the show to be found. Fans of the show on IMDb don’t just consider it one of the best AMC shows, but one of the all-time best TV dramas regardless of the network. The tour-de-force performance by Bob Odenkirk comes up time and again, with the unpredictable writing nearly on par with the show that inspired it.
1 Breaking Bad (2008-2013) – 9.5
Stream On Netflix
According to IMDb, Breaking Bad is the best AMC original series of all time, and it isn’t even close. The riveting tale of cancer-ridden chemistry teacher Walter White turned ruthless meth dealer, and the domestic drama he faces is the stuff of TV legend, providing five seasons of twisty, unpredictable action and drama that is truly hard to beat.
With a staggering 9.5 rating on 2 million IMDb votes, Breaking Bad is considered the second-best TV show ever made. Winner of 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, the show has been extolled for its breathless pacing, three-dimensional character development, terrifying villains, and perhaps most poignant, the heart and soul that White’s family expresses throughout the series.
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