AMC, the home of hit series The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul, has already set its eyes on its 2023 programming. The network announced that it has greenlit two new series for the next year, with a six-order episode for each. Demascus is an original story that chronicles life of an ordinary Black man in America today, and Invitation to a Bonfire is based on a novel which, in turn, is based on a real story about the disturbing marriage of Russian author Vladimir Nabokov.

Both series are part of an initiative started by AMC Studios: the “script-to-series” model invites writers to develop prospective series so they can be ordered for a full season at once, as opposed to greenlighting a pilot episode in order to see if it works and then make a decision regarding further episodes.

Demascus is created by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, a notorious playwright who is making his debut as series creator. Previously, he worked with Lena Waithe on BET’s Boomerang. 13 Reasons Why and American Crime’s Kirk Moore will serve as showrunner for Damascus, which is described as focusing on “Demascus, a 33-year-old Black man who goes on a journey of self-discovery using an innovative new technology that allows him to experience different versions of his own life.”

Invitation to a Bonfire is based on the best-selling novel by author Adrienne Celt, chronicling the marriage of Russian author Vladimir Nabokov (Lolita) and Vera Nabokov – a relationship infamously known for its codependency. The series is created by Rachel Caris Love, who also serves as showrunner, and is described as a “a psychological thriller set in the 1930s at an all-girls boarding school in New Jersey…[which] revolves around Zoya, a young Russian immigrant and groundskeeper, who is drawn into a lethal love triangle with the school’s newest faculty member”.

Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, released an official statement in which he celebrated the production of the two series and revealed he’s excited to share them with audiences:

“These are two unique, different and highly emotional series we can’t wait to share with viewers next year, both with compelling characters at the center driving the storytelling in distinct and very personal ways. ‘Demascus’ is a real and engaging exploration of being a Black man in America, with a rich and full character as our guide. ‘Bonfire’ gives us a world of love, loss, identity and complication that we know viewers will find themselves lost in.”

Demascus and Invitation to a Bonfire are part of a slate of new series that AMC Networks is trying out for a post-Walking Dead and Better Call Saul era. With both series airing their final seasons in 2022, the network needs to find the next ones that will keep bringing viewers in. Their current slate includes the gritty courtroom drama 61st Street, spin-off series Tales of the Walking Dead, and the first two series in an Anne Rice universe, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.

AMC hasn’t announced a release date for Demascus or Invitation to a Bonfire.

via Collider