AMC greenlights series on Freddy Roach and Wild Card Gym

THR WEEKLY EXCLU: After four years of award-winning dramas, AMC is expanding into unscripted programming.

The Mad Men and Breaking Bad network is developing a docuseries about famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach set at his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Roach’s fighters have included Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., as well as celebrities like Mickey Rourke.

The project features Roach’s work with boxers as he struggles to ward off the creeping symptoms of Parkinson's disease — an aliment possibly linked to his own days in the ring.

If that story line sounds like it could be the plot of an AMC drama, that's the idea.

The ICM-packaged boxing project’s producers include Friday Night Lights mastermind Peter Berg as executive producer, along with Sarah Aubrey, Jim Lampley and Michael Price. AMC has even listed a “showrunner” (Brian Hyland), a term generally used for the head writer-producer on a scripted project.

AMC’s quest to add unscripted — it doesn’t use the term “reality” — began more than a year ago. Low-cost series could expand originals like The Walking Dead beyond Sundays and provide a safety net for drama misfires like the recently canceled Rubicon

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/amc-enters-unscripted-game-boxing-45905

Man a lot boxing stuff is hitting movies and TV. Got the Micki Ward movie, the FX series Lights Out, and now this

I love it

AMC does good work. I've enjoyed their scripted shows. Hopefully they do a good unscripted show.

This can't be good for Freddie's focus and I wonder about the impact on the sport. I generally think publicity is good, but is seeing Freddie's tremors going to get more younguns in the game?

My guess is it will be sensational television.

this kind of mainstream exposure can only be good for the sport.

amc has the best tv series with breaking bad, the walking dead and even rubicon.

Freddy's condition is not going to have any worse of an impact then any public appearance Muhammad Ali does.

It's already too late for that kind of damage controle. And I don't think Freddy would do it if they were exploiting his condition to show the evils of boxing

marbleheadmaui wrote:This can't be good for Freddie's focus and I wonder about the impact on the sport. I generally think publicity is good, but is seeing Freddie's tremors going to get more younguns in the game?

My guess is it will be sensational television.

What about seeing a poor immigrant from an impoverished country now being wealthy in two countries as a direct result of Roach's tutelage?

hardcorebee24 wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:This can't be good for Freddie's focus and I wonder about the impact on the sport. I generally think publicity is good, but is seeing Freddie's tremors going to get more younguns in the game?

My guess is it will be sensational television.

What about seeing a poor immigrant from an impoverished country now being wealthy in two countries as a direct result of Roach's tutelage?

Well there is that!

marbleheadmaui wrote:This can't be good for Freddie's focus and I wonder about the impact on the sport. I generally think publicity is good, but is seeing Freddie's tremors going to get more younguns in the game?

My guess is it will be sensational television.

I dont think it will matter, look at all of these blogs and boxing sites that have cameras there daily, the filipino media, and thats not even the other medias

Probably use to the publicity

Why not cash in on it

I hope they do the show well and just let the story tell itself. The amount of talent and interesting, diverse stories in that stable is more than enough to make great tv.

Show what makes the different fighters tick, get some interviews and background stories from different fighters at different levels and stages in their careers, get some celebrities to talk about why they love boxing, sprinkle in some Freddie & Manny, show training footage and an occasional exclusive sparring session, collect an emmy.

Speaking of AMC I just finished watching the third series of Mad Men, that show is just marvelous, each episode oozes quality, wit, humor and engrossing dialogue. Now I understand the big critical reaction to the show.

GrantZilla wrote:Freddy's condition is not going to have any worse of an impact then any public appearance Muhammad Ali does.

It's already too late for that kind of damage controle. And I don't think Freddy would do it if they were exploiting his condition to show the evils of boxing

That would be my concern. I agree exposure for the sport in general is good, but between Ali and Roach the association in the public's mind between parkinsons and boxing just gets stronger.

Still, this has great TV written all over it.

Ali wrote:Speaking of AMC I just finished watching the third series of Mad Men, that show is just marvelous, each episode oozes quality, wit, humor and engrossing dialogue. Now I understand the big critical reaction to the show.

It really is as good as eveyone says...and it has Christina Hendricks!