Nellie Andreeva

AMC continues to expand its reality portfolio with an emphasis on small-town America. The network has greenlighted a new eight-episode unscripted series, Road Show, set in the world of local talent shows. It also has renewed Small Town Security, which centers on a small, family-run security and private investigation company, for a second season. Both are scheduled to premiere in  second-quarter 2013, following the first-quarter 2013 debuts of AMC’s new unscripted entries Untitled Taxidermy Series and Venice Beach Freakshow. AMC also renewed its first efforts in the reality arena, Comic Book Men, Talking Dead and The Pitch. “Small Town Security was such a great ride for us in Season 1, and we are thrilled to be able to continue that into a second season,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s EVP Original Programming. “Road Show is a doc-style talent competition series that celebrates the stories of the people who ever sang into their hairbrush, or lost sleep over their premiere in a community theater production.” Here is the network’s description of Road Show:

“Road Show” gets into the heart of America’s obsession with performing and becoming a star under the notion that every town has a story and every town has a star. The series centers on small town talent shows, and the comedy that ensues when a little bit of Hollywood shows up to give people who have long submerged their artistic dreams of becoming a star a chance to be the big fish in the little pond of their hometown. Each episode the series holds “open call auditions,” welcoming everyone from singers and dancers to comedy acts and jugglers. “Road Show’s” director and choreographer, who are the series’ two mentors, then select four finalists to participate in a talent show held at a local venue.  The audience gets to know the finalists and their back-stories as they are coached over multiple days by these mentors. The goal is to bring out the best of their abilities in preparing them for their performance at a “Big Show” in front of a local audience who will select the winner. “Road Show” is created and executive produced by Laurie Girion (Welcome to Sweetie Pies) and Storyvision Entertainment and distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.

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