Of course, now that AMC has become a sensation, the game has changed: There are expectations. “You have to be much more careful in your choices,” she says. “But our mandate was never high volume.” In fact, AMC’s immediate goal is to do only one night of original programming per week, which translates to a lineup of three shows. She is currently overseeing the development of three series, but only one—a present-day New York–based political thriller that Wayne describes as “in the vein of Three Days of the Condor or Enemy of the State”—has been ordered to pilot. “So far we’ve never done a pilot that didn’t go to series. Which is unique because it’s now the model for networks to make 10 pilots and pick three. Unfortunately,” she continues, “a lot of decisions in the entertainment industry are based on fear rather than the positive feeling of, You know what? I would watch that.”
The notion that quality begets success may seem a bit quaint in this age of cheap reality series and formulaic procedural shows that are spun off by the dozen. But if her approach works, Wayne will have cultivated a sort of second HBO, a top player in what she sees as the “golden age for cable TV.” There are skeptics, of course—Sue Naegle, HBO’s programming president, was quoted recently as saying that the media’s comparison of networks like AMC to HBO was an overstatement, that they operate “in two different leagues.” But these days Wayne feels entitled to a little swagger. Reminded of Naegle’s slight, she smiles serenely and says, “I’ll let the Emmys speak for themselves.”
