[Televisionary]

AMC today announced that it has given pilot orders to two projects in development. Both zombie drama The Walking Dead , based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, and crime drama The Killing , a US adaptation of Danish television series Forbrydelsen have received pilot orders and will begin production in the second quarter of 2010. " The Walking Dead and The Killing are alone in their class in terms of the quality of the storytelling," said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content, in a statement. "Both have remarkable talent behind them, and present that rare opportunity to raise the bar significantly within a genre. It is a very exciting next step in our continuing commitment to presenting smart, sophisticated storytelling with broad appeal." Robert Kirkman will serve as an executive producer on The Walking Dead and while Frank Darabont ( The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile ) will write, direct

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. AMC is reportedly close to signing a deal with Frank Darabont ( The Green Mile ) to write and direct an adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comic series "The Walking Dead" for the cabler. Potential series, about a group of people who have survived a zombie apocalypse who search for a safe place to call their home, will be executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. No studio is currently attached. "This is not about zombies popping out of closets," said AMC's SVP of programming Joel Stillerman. "This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way." ( Variety ) The Chicago Tribune 's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic, insightful, and lengthy interview with Mad Men star Jon Hamm, in which he talks about Season Three of the AMC period drama. "What I think is imp