Every AMC show ranked from worst to best, according to critics
Ursula Coyote/AMC
Bryan Cranston as Walter White on AMC’s “Breaking Bad.”
Before “Mad Men” premiered in 2007 — an astonishing 10 whole years ago this summer — AMC was known as the channel that plays old movies. But the network really stepped up its game and left its own imprint on the so-called golden age of television.
While AMC hasn’t had another Emmy-sweeping hit like “Mad Men” or “Breaking Bad” since those shows finished, it has continued to make innovative shows that focus on great writing and acting, like “Better Call Saul,” which has its season-three premiere on Sunday. Some AMC shows are good, but some of them, as it goes with any network, are total duds.
We took to Metacritic, which aggregates reviews and assigns each season of a show a score based on them, to rank every AMC scripted series according to critics. We included every scripted show, but left out unscripted series like “Talking Dead,” “Rdie with Norman Reedus,” and “The Pitch.”
Here’s every AMC show ranked from worst to best, according to critics:
19. “The Prisoner” (2009), one-season miniseries
“This reimagined version, which feels a bit old hat in a post-Matrix fantasy landscape, is more leaden, pretentious, and solemn, a tone embodied by [Jim] Caviezel’s brooding Six, who’s more dour than dashing.” —TV Guide
18. “Feed the Beast” (2016), one season
“Answers are sacrificed in ‘Feed the Beast’s’ quest to be 18 different things at once: a Bourdain-esque tale of bad-boy chefs made good, a gritty crime drama, a superhero show, a touching tale of familial reception.” —The Atlantic
17. “Into the Badlands” (2015-), two seasons
Metacritic Score: 54 (rating for season two not available yet)
“Beneath the veneer is nothing but cliches loosely stitched together. Actor Daniel Wu, however, does what he can.” —Entertainment Weekly
16. “The American West” (2016), one-season miniseries
Metacritic Score: 56.6
“The cinematography is admirable, and the accounts from historians and academics are sound. But the sight of Burt Reynolds in rose-tinted glasses explaining that George Armstrong Custer ‘was a hell of a soldier’ does little to inform the project.” —The Denver Post
15. “Low Winter Sun” (2013), one season
“It tries to make up for what it lacks in originality with unending bleakness.” —Slate
14. “Fear the Walking Dead” (2015-), two seasons
“Unfortunately, despite strong performances, particularly from Dickens and Curtis, it’s hard to care what happens to anyone, or to listen to the dialogue and not pray for some kind of bear attack.” —Vulture
13. “Turn: Washington’s Spies” (2014-), three seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 64.5
“‘Turn’ isn’t bad, but it’s also too forgettable to deserve a long look, cool credits or no.” —Hitfix
12. “Hell on Wheels” (2011-2016), five seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 65.6
“Just don’t go in expecting more than heck on wheels.” —Time
11. “Rubicon” (2010), one season
“‘Rubicon’ dares to be smart but, as conventional thrillers go, it’s not very thrilling.” —Variety
10. “The Killing” (2011-2013), three seasons — fourth season aired on Netflix in 2014
Average Metacritic Score: 73.6
“It’s not nearly as highbrow and well-constructed as it needs to be, and it’s far too serious and plodding to be a zippy break from reality.” —Salon
*The fourth and final season on Netflix is not counted in this score, since it wasn’t on AMC.
9. “Halt and Catch Fire” (2014-), three seasons
“‘Halt’ finally looks like a series going someplace important, and worth viewers going there with it.” —Newsday
8. “Broken Trail” (2006), one-season miniseries
“We’ve seen all these characters countless times before in movie and TV Westerns, but the actors give them distinction here.” —The Boston Globe
7. “Preacher” (2016-), one season
“It has a chance to crossbreed the better angels of character drama with devilish genre splatter. Within its oversize color panels there’s some hard-boiled philosophy about trying to be good in a world of sin. And there’s little on TV quite like its fallen world.” —The New York Times
6. “Humans” (2015-), two seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 77.5
“‘Humans’ finds a way to bring intrigue to a very familiar conflict.” —The Hollywood Reporter
5. “The Walking Dead” (2010-), seven seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 79.6
“This dark gem of a show about a zombie apocalypse gleams with hellfire incandescence.” —Miami Herald
4. “Better Call Saul” (2015-), three seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 81.5
“It’s less brooding than its progenitor, less emotionally wrenching (at least at first), and its references to the ‘Breaking Bad’ mythology could ultimately become tiresome. But it’s also entertaining and smart and, like its piteous semi-hero, persuasive.” —The Boston Globe
3. “The Night Manager” (2016), one-season miniseries
“‘The Night Manager’ combines luxurious production with razor-sharp writing, and it’s brought to life by a brilliant cast, headed by Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.” —The Oregonian
2. “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013), five seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 88.2
“Soak in the visuals, listen to the mesmerizing use of sound. The writing and acting will lure you in, but have appreciation for all the details that go into making this series so great.” —SF Gate
1. “Mad Men” (2007-2015), seven seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 91.8
“The writing remains remarkable, as it toggles between the rhythms and cliches of 1950s movies and the timeless resonance of mid-20th-century theater. You rarely find such economical and evocative scripting on TV.” —The Boston Globe
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