When it comes to their dramas, AMC is all over the map, with zombie drama The Walking Dead bringing in big ratings for the cable channel, and other dramas, Mad Men and Breaking Bad bringing critical acclaim to the network, not to mention The Killing and Hell on Wheels. Aside from being great shows on AMC, their subject matter shows the network's versatility and it's refusal to target just one audience. The same might be said, to a lesser degree, about their unscripted series. One could argue that shows like Comic Book Men, Freakshow and Immortalized all target "geeks." But "geek" is such a broad term that the connection is loose at best. After all, do all comic book geeks love taxidermy or sword swallowing? I'm thinking no. All the same, the network does seem to be aiming to cover subjects beloved by various geeky subcategories. Their new pilot Geek Out seems like more of a catch-all in that regard, and the project has a very geek-friendly host on board.
THR says AMC has ordered a pilot for Geek Out (working title). Author Ernest Cline and a yet-to-be-hired person will co-host, and a different geek would be featured in each episode. The show would showcase the "geek's" obsession, then reward them with a surprise one-of-a-kind moment related to their fanaticism. It sounds like a lot of fun, and anyone who's been to Comic Con knows there are no shortage of hardcore geeks out there and nor shortage of fandoms to target.
Not only do Cline's novels target the geekiest of readers, but he's also expressed an appreciation for geekdom in his work, which makes him the right guy to host (and executive produce) a project like this, which is described as a "wish fulfillment show." The writer is responsible for penning the Star Wars-focused 2009 film Fanboys, and also writing the excellent sci-fi novel Ready Player One, which is sort of a futuristic gaming-Willy Wonkaesque-story with an 80s-nostalgic twist. If you think that sounds good, definitely pick up a copy. Cline also has a new novel coming up called Armada. The movie rights for both books have been sold prior to their publication. It'll be interesting to see who's brought in to co-host with Cline and whether or not this project moves forward past the pilot stage.
