AMC certainly knows its product.The Walking Deadfans love seeingNorman Reedusfire his crossbow into a herd of walkers, but they love him even more when he’s riding his motorcycle. Case in point, the crowd at Madison Square Garden duringthe Season 6 premiere eventwent wild whenthe actorrode through the basketball court and onto the stage on his signature accessory. So the network is taking both these aspects, fusing them together for a new show, and hoping it sticks.
Announced today, Reedus will feature in his own non-fiction motorcycle series, tentatively calledRide with Norman Reedus. It’s a pretty simple concept (via press release):
Six one-hour episodes will follow actor and biker-enthusiast Reedus as he takes viewers on a ride on the open road to explore local motorcycle culture and its history and celebrate some of the best and brightest collectors, mechanics and motorcycle craftsmen around the country.
Reedus will start each episode in a different location with a different traveling buddy, who could be an actor, musician, friend, or just another motorcycle enthusiast. They’ll then travel to another location and make a number of pitstops along the way to visit custom bike shops, tattoo parlors, roadside smokehouses, and the like.
At the end of last year, AMC made the decision to focus on its scripted series and, therefore, pull away from the unscripted genre.Comic Book MenwithKevin SmithandTalking DeadwithChris Hardwickwere the two that remained, so in a wayRide with Norman Reedusis a bit of a surprise. That said,Talking Deadexpanded to incorporate theWalking DeadspinoffFear The Walking Dead, and AMC has since worked on the docu-dramasThe Making of the MobandThe American West. It’s difficult to think of Reedus’ show as anything more than a move to further tap into theWalking Deadfan base by utilizing one of the biggest TV stars from one of the biggest TV shows. But in this case, that’s not a bad thing.
