10 Best AMC Shows Since 2015, Ranked

With undeniable classics like Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead under its belt, AMC has established itself since the late 2000s as a singular voice in television production. AMC shows cover a wide swath of genres and styles, but they've developed a signature strategy of taking on unique properties that often push the boundaries of what's shown on TV. From solidifying the concept of "prestige" TV with acting heavyweights Mad Men and Breaking Bad to unflinching genre fare like Moonhaven or Hell on Wheels, AMC has transformed itself from a classic films channel to a major voice in TV in less than two decades.

That's a rapid turn-around in the world of TV, but AMC has continuously reified its status as a destination for original programming throughout the 2000s, 2010s and now 2020s with frequent attempts at launching new shows. Though its founding shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men wrapped by 2015, AMC has produced several exceptional TV programs since 2015, and the best of these sit alongside any modern TV show as some of the highest quality TV in existence.

10 Kevin Can F**k Himself Darkly Subverts the Tropes of Sitcoms

Though it only had two seasons from 2021-2022, Kevin Can F**k Himself is a dark, weird take on the sitcom and the dramedy that deserves its status as a cult favorite. The conceit for the show is a unique one: Allison is married to Kevin in a laugh track-style sitcom arrangement that includes friends popping in constantly, schemes and a smart wife dealing with a foolish husband, but every time Allison isn't with Kevin, the show switches to a multicam drama. The show plays on the idea that if the ridiculous lives of the stars of sitcoms like Kevin Can Wait (and just about every other) were real, they would be disastrous for the welfare and mental health of their cast.

The show is experimental and darkly comic, and it works very well as a dissection of the complex lives of modern Americans, largely due to the cast's acting, including Schitt's Creek's Annie Murphy. More than just an edgy satire of popular entertainment, Kevin Can F**k Himself presents an analysis of people who are indulged by the life around them and the damage that it does to their friends and family. While Kevin only ran for two seasons, its showrunners were aware of its limited episode count and gave it a proper ending in Season Two, wrapping up its complex interpersonal relationships nicely.

Kevin Can F**k Himself

A groundbreaking series juxtaposes the bright, laugh-track-laced life of a sitcom wife with her darker, grittier reality, as she grapples with her lackluster marriage and dreams of liberation. Her growing discontent leads her on a dangerous quest to reclaim her life, challenging the stereotypes of traditional sitcom roles and exploring the dual nature of her existence.

 

Release Date

June 13, 2021

 

 

Cast

Brian Howe , Alex Bonifer , Mary Hollis Inboden , Eric Petersen , Raymond Lee , Annie Murphy

 

 

Main Genre

Comedy

 

 

Seasons

2

 

 

Network

AMC

 

 

Streaming Service(s)

Prime Video , AMC Plus

 

9 The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Continues the Legacy of a Beloved Character

Technically much of The Walking Dead's extensive original series and spinoffs fall after the 2015 mark, but because the primary show had five years under its belt already and the stories intertwine, they're represented here by the most recent spinoff, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. The whole of the franchise since 2015 is what's nominated here though, including its five post-2015 spinoffs and Seasons Five, Six and Seven of the main show, which aired primarily after 2015 and which were the first, third and fourth most-watched of the original series by viewers. The show is divisive as a whole amongst TV viewers and even fans, with complaints of inconsistencies common, but as one of the most popular TV franchises of the last two decades, The Walking Dead remains an iconic show of its era.

Following in the footsteps of the original show and one of its beloved characters is The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which premiered on September 10, 2023, and which brings Norman Reedus back as Daryl in a new era of zombie-killing. Following Daryl to France, where the zombie apocalypse of the show's universe started, Daryl Dixon has been well-received by fans and critics for refreshing both the character and the series and for focusing on emotions and character over twists. Adding the great Clémence Poésy and with an updated visual look, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has breathed new life into the massive series and ensures fans will get more time in its universe, as do the ongoing Dead City and upcoming The Ones Who Live.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

 

Release Date

October 1, 2023

 

 

Cast

Norman Reedus , Gilbert Glenn Brown , Avant Strangel , Adam Nagaitis

 

 

Main Genre

Horror

 

 

Seasons

2

 

 

Franchise

The Walking Dead

 

 

Streaming Service(s)

AMC+

 

8 Dispatches from Elsewhere Is a Fantastic Mystery Miniseries

For those looking for a hidden gem on this list, Dispatches from Elsewhere is almost certainly the least-known entry, and it deserves more of an audience. Dispatches from Elsewhere is a 10-episode miniseries that aired in 2020 and which focuses on a group of characters experiencing a strange puzzle world that appears to sit right beside normal reality. Dispatches starts weird, with an intro from the legendary Richard E. Grant speaking directly to the audience about what they're about to watch, and it only gets weirder as it descends into its contained ten-story arc.

While it's hard to discuss Dispatches without giving too much away, as this is a mystery show in the truest sense, suffice to say that the show does not shy away from strange territory, but it retains a sense of humor and humanity through its characters. Creator Jason Segel also stars in the show as the timid Peter, who finds himself navigating surreal and invigorating circumstances set before him by the mysterious Jejune Institute. Joining Segel are Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) as the brilliant Fredwynn, Eve Lindley as lonely trans woman Simone and the legendary Sally Field as Janice, making for a cast that lives up to the ambitions of Dispatches from Elsewhere's surprise-filled story.

Dispatches from Elsewhere

Feeling as though there's something missing in their lives, four ordinary people stumble across a puzzle hiding just beyond the veil of everyday life, and their eyes are opened to a world of possibility and magic.

 

Release Date

February 1, 2020

 

 

Cast

Jason Segel , Andre 3000 , Eve Lindley , Richard E. Grant

 

 

Main Genre

Drama

 

 

Seasons

1

 

 

Creator

Jason Segel

 

7 Lodge 49 Offers a Fresh Take on Comedy

When it comes to celebrity children, few have the pedigree of Wyatt Russell, son of megastars Kurt Russell (who stars in Monarch with Wyatt) and Goldie Hawn. While Russell got his first role playing a baby in his parents' classic 80s comedy Overboard, Russell had mostly played supporting roles in film and TV (including a The Walking Dead web series) before having a breakout in film with 2016's Everybody Wants Some!! and Folk Hero & Funny Guy. Wyatt Russell displays much of his parents' comedy stylings and a command of the screen in those films, and he started getting cast in more and more major roles after 2016, eventually landing his first starring TV gig with Lodge 49 in 2018.

One of AMC's few original comedies, Lodge 49 follows a California burnout named Dud who finds his way to a mysterious fraternal organization called the Order of the Lynx. Reeling from his father's death and directionless, Dud joins the order and goes on a series of misadventures with its motley members and the local townspeople, finding himself along the way. Russell is pitch-perfect in the role, refining his hippy-esque character from Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! to excellent effect, and Lodge 49 is at once funny, poignant and rare fresh ground for a comedy.

Lodge 49

 

Release Date

August 6, 2018

 

 

Cast

Wyatt Russell , Brent Jennings , Linda Emond , David Pasquesi

 

 

Main Genre

Comedy

 

 

Seasons

2

 

6 Preacher Adapts a Popular 90s Comic

Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion's Preacher comic series was a mainstay of late 90s comics, running 75 issues between 1995 and 2000. The story of a not-so-preacherly preacher named Jesse Custer, Preacher is about a man imbued with supernatural powers who treks across the U.S. looking for God along with his ex-girlfriend Tulip and Irish vampire Cassidy. The Preacher comic was hugely influential, often included on best-ever lists (and being referenced in The Boys comic, now itself a hit show), and attempts to film it have taken place since 1998. The only one that ever successfully happened, though, was the version developed by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg for AMC, which premiered 20 years after the comic's launch, in 2016.

Preacher, both in the comics and the show, is a challenging story of violence, belief and America, and it's a refreshing take on Americana that has a lot to say. Though the Preacher show doesn't always follow the legendary comic, it does well to adapt many of the storylines and characters, often spending large stretches following the beloved story closely and never breaking too far from its source. Dominic Cooper as Jesse and Ruth Negga as Tulip are great fits for their roles, and Joseph Gilgun provides an outstanding turn as vampire Cassidy, one of comic fandom's favorite characters. Though the show can't quite live up to one of the greatest comics series ever, by the end of Season 4, it has spanned across the globe and into the heavens with its incredible, faith-shaking drama.

Preacher

 

Release Date

May 22, 2016

 

 

Cast

Dominic Cooper , Joseph Gilgun , Ruth Negga

 

 

Seasons

4

 

 

Story By

Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

 

 

Number of Episodes

43

 

 

Network

AMC

 

5 Dark Winds Explores the Modernity of Native American Culture

After his hilarious role in Reservation Dogs, one of recent TV's best dramedies, it's a bit of a shock to remember that Zahn McClarnon has long been one of film and TV's great character actors, with a career that goes all the way back to a part in Baywatch in 1992. After decades of stealing scenes, McClarnon has become a ringer for prestige TV, with major parts in Longmire, Fargo and Westworld among dozens of recent others, including AMC's own The Son. It's perhaps that latter that landed McClarnon a true leading role in Dark Winds, a TV adaptation of the famous Leaphorn and Chee novels and a show that counts McClarnon, George R. R. Martin, Anne Hillerman and Robert Redford among its executive producers.

Show creator Graham Roland is a veteran, having been a major part of creating Fringe, Almost Human, The Returned and Jack Ryan, and with McClarnon as super-serious, ultra-capable tribal police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, the pair have created something special in Dark Winds. On its surface a detective story, Dark Winds is really a tale about Native Americans, the reservations many of them live on and the forces that surround them and try to influence them. With a large native cast and McClarnon putting in a career performance, Dark Winds is very much worth catching up on before its third season airs in 2025.

Dark Winds

 

Release Date

June 12, 2022

 

 

Cast

Zahn McClarnon , Jessica Matten , Kiowa Gordon , Deanna Allison , Elva Guerra , Rainn Wilson

 

 

Main Genre

Drama

 

 

Seasons

2

 

4 Interview with the Vampire Uses Vampirism to Tell a Surprisingly Mature Story

Perhaps still overshadowed by its famous film sibling, AMC's Interview with the Vampire has quickly made a name for itself in current pop culture after premiering in October 2022, just before Halloween. As a revamping of the Interview story from writer Anne Rice's classic novel of the same name, Interview tweaks things just a little in order to make the gay undertones of the film and the novel series more explicit. Beyond that, actors Jacob Anderson as the empathetic Louis, Sam Reid as the devious and ancient Lestat and Bailey Bass (replaced by Delainey Hayles in Season 2) as the forever-young and hungry Claudia get to expand on their characters' moral quandaries that are central to the original story.

Stylish, sexy and goth as it can be, Interview is a step aside from decades of live-action TV vampire melodrama (leaving aside, of course, the genius of What We Do in the Shadows) and fully adult story. This version of vampire-infested Louisiana (and beyond) is full of racists, homophobes and other people trying to put the show's central antiheroes in the ground for good, and the reapproach to tone and what it's willing to touch on works exceptionally well with the great cast. It's a new age for Anne Rice's work, along with AMC's other show Mayfair Witches, and if the young show keeps up the pace, it could well reach even higher on this list by its end.

Interview with the Vampire

 

Release Date

October 2, 2022

 

 

Cast

Jacob Anderson , Sam Reid , Bailey Bass , Eric Bogosian

 

 

Main Genre

Horror

 

 

Seasons

2

 

 

Studio

AMC Studios

 

 

Creator

Rolin Jones

 

 

Main Characters

Louis de Pointe du Lac - Ancient vampire grappling with his conscience and humanity.Lestat de Lioncourt - Energetic and flamboyant vampire who created Louis.Claudia - Young vampire yearning for connection and revenge.Daniel Molloy - Present-day journalist interviewing Louis.Rashid - Mysterious figure with ties to ancient vampire lore (introduced in Season 2).Antoinette de Lioncourt - Powerful and vengeful vampire queen (introduced in Season 2).

 

 

Producer

Rolin Jones, Mark Johnson, Alan Taylor, Anne Rice, Christopher Rice

 

 

Writers

Rolin Jones , Glen Mazzara , Mark Fergus , Hawk Ostby

 

 

Number of Episodes

16

 

 

Network

AMC

 

3 The Terror Represents the Potential of Horror Television

Case-in-point when it comes to AMC's willingness to make anything, as long as it's complex and good: 2018's The Terror, a half-historical, half-supernatural two-season epic miniseries, soon to get a third. Initially, The Terror launched as a horror miniseries adapting a novel of the same name that explores a fictional version of the real-world story of Sir John Franklin. Franklin was the leader of the infamous expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, a man who tried to find a way across the Arctic ice and who was lost in the process. Following the success of The Walking Dead, AMC wanted to create more horror, and with Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker among its executive producers, the show was created between 2016 and 2018.

In terms of gritty period horror, the resulting first season of The Terror stands among the best, with gorgeous images of the Arctic ice and a magnificent cast that includes British and Irish legends like Tobias Menzies, Ciarán Hinds (great as Franklin) and Jarred Harris, who incredibly did the role right after his iconic performances in The Expanse and The Crown. The show does not stick to straight history, however, and its masterpiece move is to add a distinct supernatural horror element to the true story, which elevates The Terror to among the best things AMC has ever created. Because the story was fully told but well-received, AMC turned it into an anthology show after Season 1, with Season 2 (The Terror: Infamy) following a new cast of characters in Japan during World War II, themselves haunted by something unknown. A third season, set in a psychiatric hospital, is set to release in 2025 with beloved horror director Karyn Kusama (The Invitation, Jennifer's Body) attached.

2 Better Call Saul May Be the Best Spin-Off Ever

Some may take exception to Better Call Saul, without a doubt one of the best and most loved shows of recent years, being second on this list, and in fact the call is almost too close between Better Call Saul and Halt and Catch Fire for the title of best AMC show since 2015. In the end, it will come down to taste which one prefers, but the truth of the matter is that Better Call Saul is as good as any TV show, perhaps of all time. Starting from a difficult place as the follow-up to another possible contender for best-ever show, Breaking Bad, Saul quickly carved out its own space in the Breaking universe and on TV itself.

Better Call Saul is a hard show to define: As sad as it is funny, as much about the law as it isn't, Better Call Saul showcases the entirety of the human experience. Comedy god Bob Odenkirk returns to Breaking character Slippin' Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, in what may be one of TV's greatest-ever performances, playing a broken, clever man like few ever have. Saul was a cultural phenomenon that pulled off the impossible with six straight seasons that were only more critically acclaimed every time, earning it 217 major arts awards and 34 wins. It remains a baffling truth that Odenkirk never won an Emmy for the show despite six nominations, but that won't keep Slippin' Jimmy from going down in history as one of TV's lasting icons.

Better Call Saul

 

Release Date

February 8, 2015

 

 

Cast

Bob Odenkirk , Jonathan Banks , Rhea Seehorn , Patrick Fabian , Michael Mando , Tony Dalton

 

 

Main Genre

Drama

 

 

Seasons

6

 

 

Sequel

Breaking Bad

 

 

Network

AMC

 

 

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

 

1 Halt and Catch Fire Is AMC's Magnus Opus

Better Call Saul might be the more famous of their prestige dramas, but there's another AMC show about human nature and interpersonal relationships that's as good as Saul, and that's Halt and Catch Fire. Perhaps put off by an initial season that was deeply embedded in the period aesthetic and history of the 80s, Halt and Catch never hit the viewing numbers or cultural impact of Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. However, Halt and Catch Fire is a magnum opus of human drama, and its stunning story arc and ability to transform between its four seasons have made it a critical darling since it wrapped in 2017. Set in the early 80s in Texas' "Silicon Prairie," Halt and Catch follows a number of computer pioneers from their early days all the way through to the 90s. The show starts with the invention of the laptop and goes through everything from online games to search engines themselves, and the show's attention to period detail is absolutely mind-blowing as it perfectly follows the trends and looks of each year it portrays.

It's the people that Halt centers that make it a gem among gems on AMC, though, as the main characters navigate business, sex, family, gender issues, the concept of genius, illness, age, sexuality (Foundations's Lee Pace stuns as a bisexual idea man) and, yes, the history of the tech that runs the world today. Halt and Catch Fire is an anomaly on TV, almost a contradiction, as cool as it is nerdy, as funny as it is devastating, and as weird as it is totally familiar in the end. When the story of Cameron, Joe, Gordon and Donna is over, in the best possible way, it leaves the viewer feeling like they've been a part of something special. And with all of its blinking green code, retro pixel graphics and whirring machines giving a moody, unforgettable setting for a spectacular human drama, that's just what Halt and Catch Fire is: special TV.

Halt and Catch Fire

In the early 1980s, a visionary, an engineer, and a prodigy risk it all to build a revolutionary computer that could change the future of computing. Set against the backdrop of the personal computer boom, their personal and professional lives intertwine as they navigate intense competition, ego, and innovation in their quest to reimagine technology.

 

Release Date

June 1, 2014

 

 

Creator(s)

Christopher Cantwell , Christopher C. Rogers

 

 

Cast

Lee Pace , Scoot McNairy , Mackenzie Davis , Kerry Bishé , Toby Huss , August Emerson , Alana Cavanaugh , Morgan Hinkleman

 

 

Main Genre

Drama

 

 

Seasons

4