Chris Hardwick is keeping himself very busy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the hard working Hardwick has signed a deal with AMC to host and executive produce programs over the next three years for the cable channel. On top of this deal, Hardwick will also continue to host AMC’s series of after-show talk shows, including Talking Dead, Talking Dead: Fear Edition, Talking Saul and Talking Preacher.
Hardwick is arguably one of the most hard-working comedians at the moment. He hosts a slew of shows for AMC, hosts Comedy Centrals Emmy-winning @Midnight, is the founder and CEO of the highly popular Nerdist Industries, tours the country with his stand-up (currently with his recently announced Id10t tour) and he is set to host and executive producer NBC’s game show The Wall.
On continuing to work with AMC, Hardwick said, “When we started Talking Dead in 2011, I had no idea it would become one of the most significant experiences of my life. As a fan, having this kind of front-row seat to some of the biggest pillars of pop culture has been a dream come true. Thank you AMC for allowing me to continue to show up for appointment TV therapy with the legions of other fans for the foreseeable future!”
Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV, said about the deal with Hardwick, “There is simply nobody better than Chris Hardwick at doing what he does. He’s first and foremost a true fan, and his contagious enthusiasm for AMC content, along with his expertise of all things pop culture, his humor, and his engaging interview style have made him a post-show staple for AMC’s viewers.”
The success of AMC’s Hardwick-hosted Talking Dead has resulted in similar after-shows springing up on plenty of other channels. HBO just this year started a Game of Thrones post-show hosted by Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan called After the Thrones, and BBC America followed suit when they recently launched an Orphan Black after-show titled After the Black hosted by Ajay Fry, Morgan Hoffman and Teddy Wilson. This trend has even reached USA’s critically acclaimed hacker series Mr. Robot with both the Andy Greenwald-hosted Hacking Robot and with TheVerge.com’s official Mr. Robot Digital After Show hosted by The Verge’s Nilay Patel, Emily Yoshida and Russel Brandom.