AMC's Best New Show


"It’s easy to lose sight of what’s great when it’s right in front of you. You get used to it." — Donna, "Halt and Catch Fire"

AMC is in a bit of a transitional period. "Breaking Bad" is over. "Mad Men" has just seven episodes left. "The Walking Dead" is a ratings giant, but it's also aging. And the network's attempts to launch the next wave have stumbled. "The Killing" shuffled off to Netflix, and soon the graveyard. "Hell on Wheels" works on Saturday nights, but that's about it. And Heir-Apparent to "Breaking Bad," "Low Winter Sun," was quickly one and done.

So the network needs to find itself again. In the Spring it offered "Turn," a Revolutionary War drama about a network of American spies. It is a fine show with a wealth of historical story to serve as a guide for seasons to come. It's first season earned decent ratings, and it is assured of returning next year for season two.

Then there's "Halt and Catch Fire." The show premiered on June 1 and hasn't made a big impact in the ratings. It's ninth episode, the penultimate episode of the season, didn't even make the list of the top 100 programs on Cable TV on Sunday. That's not a great sign for its future, but I think it also doesn't account for the show's quality.

When "Halt and Catch Fire" first premiered, and early in its run, it was hard to tell what kind of show it was going to be. Some of the characters felt like archetypes, a lot of the plot centered on computer lingo from the 1980s I didn't quite understand, and there was a lot of anger and tension among the key characters.

That, as it turned out, was the brilliance of how the show built. Peeling back the layers on these characters — particularly the slick Joe and the punk chick Cameron — has been one of the fascinating aspects of the first season. Sure, the computer stuff is in there, but it's hardly the main point. The point is these characters, their dreams, and the struggle to get them accomplished.

In "Halt and Catch Fire," AMC might actually have its next great drama. But since hardly anyone is tuning in each week, I fear it's about to be the network's next discarded series.

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