AMC greenlights new unscripted series ‘King of Arms’

The strange world of competitive arm wrestling is getting the AMC treatment thanks to a new unscripted series called “King of Arms,” the network announced Wednesday.

The show is the work of Emmy award-winning producers Matt Renner and Ethan Prochnik (“The Deadliest Catch”) and Dan Ilani, a partner in Undertow Films.

“King of Arms” will chronicle the lives of the members of five arm wrestling clubs in Baton Rouge, La.; New York City; Erie, Pa; Sacramento and Kansas City, Mo. The show will take viewers on the road with the teams and their friends and families as they sacrifice just about everything in pursuit of a big win.

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Each of the 10 episodes of the hour-long series will end with a gripping arm wrestling match. As an added coup and a sign of confidence in the material, the show will premiere in the first quarter of next year, timed to the second half of “The Walking Dead’s” current season.

AMC is on a roll these days, having just concluded the much heralded series “Breaking Bad,” announcing the two-part final season of “Mad Men,” and launching the fourth season of “The Walking Dead,” which currently stands as the most-watched drama in basic cable history.

It will be interesting to watch how “King of Arms” does because unlike A&E and the History Channel, AMC hasn’t had much success with reality shows.

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